Us
by Senta1000
Summary: Tension between Scorpius and Rose arises as they try to figure out what they really are: friends or more, and then try to hide it from others. Apparently shadows aren't as gone as everyone thinks, because a returning graduate causes a stir between friends and enemies alike. Secrets must be unveiled, but will Rose have the courage to do it?
1. Can't Run Forever

**Author's Note: SOOOO, this is the first chapter to my third and last sequel, _Us_. Please don't read this before you read _The New Generation_ and _The Spark_. It would be completely illogical, and you wouldn't gain anything except spoilers. _The New Generation_ and _The Spark _can be found on my profile. So, if you have read, reviewed, story alerted, author alerted ect., welcome back! For the newbies, please read the others, but enjoy this one too! Thanks for your support! ENJOY _Us!_**

**Chapter 1: Can't Run Forever**

I ran my hand through my hair, pulling it out of the thick ponytail I had had it in seconds earlier. Shaking it out, I looked into the mirror blankly. The girl staring back at me resembled more of myself with my hair down in its normal explosive waves, but the light in my eyes wasn't there. I was _going back._ Back to the place where _he _hurt me, where Frank broke up with me, where Scorpius was... How could I face him now?

-A+R+S-

"Is this really necessary?" I whined at Lina's back, her head hidden inside her closet where she was rummaging around for a suitable outfit for me for the first day of classes. She turned back in my direction and threw a bundle of clothes at me.

"Of course it's necessary. You just broke up with your boyfriend, you need to start looking available." she said, dusting off her hands from the dirt in her closet(I have no idea how it got there, truly). I examined the clothes she had given me, and held up one for inspection.

"I have plenty of bras of my own, thanks Lina." I laughed, tossing the pink garment back to her. She tossed it back.

"It goes with the shirt!"

"No, it doesn't, it's a see-through shirt," I scoffed, holding up the, very pretty, but still, see-through, shirt.

"That's the point."

Once Lina had managed to force me into the shirt and bra along with a pair of skin-tight demi curve levi's jeans that I owned, I had to admit, I looked good. And Lina was right, the see-through white shirt did get their eyes on me.

"Aha! Told you the outfit would attract attention! Scorpius' eyes nearly popped out of his head!" Lina said, gesturing to the boy in question. I flushed with embarrassment as I heard that, though it was true, his eyes we on me. Our eyes met for a second and I looked away, my blush growing farther up my neck. We still hadn't talked since the summer, since it had happened. He was probably hating me now, for leaving him in the dark. But what could I say, really? What would happen to our friendship after _that_? And what about my father? And Al? Nothing ever would be normal between us again.

"Yeah, sure." I said vaguely. Lina stopped and stared at me calculating.

"You've been acting weird lately. I feel like you're not telling me something. I won't judge you, you know that right?" she said gently. I shook myself mentally.

"I'm fine, really Lina." I said, coming back to earth. She didn't look quite convinced, but nodded anyway and we made our way into the Great Hall for breakfast. I didn't sit with Scorpius and Al, but I felt Scorpius' eyes on me the whole time, which only reminded me of the definite fact: I would have to talk to him sooner or later...

-A+R+S-

I went through my classes in a daze, but when we I got to Transfiguration, I finally started to pay attention. "Attention, class!" Professor McGonagall's voice, although old, rang through the classroom. "We have new seating arrangements!" She unrolled a scroll and began to read the names off it. The arrangements were fair, Gryffindors with Gryffindors, Slytherins with Slytherins, and it was clear she had made an effort to put friends with friends. For me, though, she needed to alert herself with my current situation. Because who was I sitting next to? Three guesses.

If you guessed Scorpius Malfoy, you were absolutely correct! Now I would have to spend the whole class trying to avoid his attempted notes sent to me. After the class was over, I opened the charmed paper, and had to contain my laughter as I read what he had written. The notebook now looked like this:

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**Stop avoiding me.**

**ROSE, PICK THE DAMN NOTEBOOK _UP_!**

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I stored the notebook in my bag and hoisted it up on my shoulder, leaving the classroom early with Scorpius in my wake. I had gotten about halfway back to the dormitory when I froze in my tracks and listened as someone came up behind me. Heavy footsteps informed me on who it was. The boy in question ran up behind me and grasped my shoulders, probably in case I ran away.

"You've been avoiding me," he breathed into my ear, and shivers run down my spine at his warm breath.

"What could I have said?" I whispered back, still not trying to look at him.

"Yes. You could have said yes." he said.

"What if I was going to say no?" I asked, some of my old humor coming back into my voice. He flipped me around to face him and searched my eyes.

"Did you mean the things you said that day?" he questioned me. I looked down at the ground and said in a small voice:

"No."

Searching my eyes desperately, he leaned down to meet my lips for the second time. I felt a shiver race through my body again as his lips connected to mine. One thing I had learned from this little encounter was a fact that I would not tell Abby she was a slut for saying anymore, because it _was_ true: he was a superb kisser. But of course, I would never tell _her _that, because then she would know, and no one could know about Scorpius and I. Wait—Scorpius and I? No no no. There wasn't an _us_. There never would be. But as my nostrils twitched at the smell of mint, chocolate, and fresh snow, I realized that that was an empty promise. Of course there would be an us. I recalled a conversation in 5th year right before Victoire's wedding.

_*Flashback to 5th year* _

"_Scorpius said it looked nice." I said mutinously._

_ "Well, of course Scorpius would." Lily muttered._

_ "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_ "It's supposed to mean that Frank Longbottom is a right douche who no one likes."_

_*End of Flashback*_

Scorpius drew back from me, searching my eyes. "What are you thinking?" I shook my head frantically, drew away, and took off in the opposite direction. "You can't run away from me forever Rose!" Scorpius yelled after me as I ran away, and I felt guilt burn through my body. And what would running away from him again, anyway? Maybe I'm just too scared, too scared to face the facts. And the facts clearly stated that I was in love with Scorpius Malfoy as he had been with me for over four years.

**A/N: Questions you can respond to this time will be:**

** 1)How should Scorpius eventually win her over?**

** 2)When should Rose end up telling Lina/her dorm mates about the kisses?**

_**and**_

** 3)Will Rose ask advice from any of her family members or keep it strictly non-family?**


	2. Awkward Situations and Questions

**Author's Note: Okay, I know, I know. I'm sorry. This also isn't a very good chapter, but the story will continue, keep reading please. Hope you like it. I put more Al in.**

**Chapter 2: Awkward Situations and Questions**

"I still don't get why you won't wear what Abby and I layed out for you." Lina complained as we walked towards breakfast.

"Because I'm not looking to join a brothel, Lina. Those outfits were getting more and more outrageous." I said, turning my head to look at her with a slight smile on my face. Lina just smirked slightly, overtaking me and walking into the Great Hall before me. I shook my head, amused, and walked in after her. The chatter of the great hall was in full speed, and Lina was already halfway through sitting down, just tucking her hair back behind her ear after her dignified climb up from under the table. I smiled again and decided to walk around the table instead and sit down beside my friend. Lina was already eating when I sat down, and I pull a platter to serve myself once I'm settled. Abby and Gracie left the dormitory twenty minutes before both of us, so they were already here, eating breakfast. Abby looked me over, sighed, and turned to Lina.

"She refused to wear it, didn't she?"

"I told you she would." Lina smiled at her ruefully, nudging me in the ribs. I humphed, but before I had time to reply, Albus sat on the side of me not taken by Lina.

"Hey Al." Gracie greeted him as he began to pull every dish near him over to his plate. He inclined his head to her then turned back to his plate. She sighed almost inaudibly and turned back to us. We were all smirking knowingly at her. She glared at us.

"That wasn't what you thought it was, so you're not allowed to say anything." she said, crossing her arms and glaring at us. We smirk at each other while she gives us the evil eye. Then, in unison, we turn our smirks back to her. She looks unsettled. "Okay, that was just creepy." We laugh.

"Sorry, Gracie, but no one keeps him away from his food. Not even you." I say, smiling fondly at my cousin, then quickly looking away as he proceeded to eat his food in the most disgusting way imaginable. I looked back to Gracie desperately, gesturing with my hands to where my cousin was sitting. "How can you have feelings for this guy?" I asked.

"I don't."

"Oh, please."  
"I don't!"

"What are we arguing about?" We all turned to see Scorpius standing there, a normal smirk coloring his face, standing behind where Abby and Gracie were sitting. He ruffled his blonde hair up with one hand, moving to sit down next to Gracie.

"Noth—"

"Whether or not Gracie likes Al." I said, looking at him challengingly. Al finally gets wind of the conversation.

"Say what now?" he says, wrinkling his brow. "I heard my name." Gracie throws up her hands and gets up from the table quickly, racing away out of the hall. I looked after her and sighed in resignation.

"Good job Rose." Lina smirked across to me. I raise my hands in surrender.

"Just pointing out a fact."

"I still don't know what's going on." Al said confusedly. I patted him on the arm fake-sympathetically.

"You don't need to, Albie."

"Oi!"

"What? You haven't told your mum to stop calling you that, so why should I?"

"Because YOU'RE NOT MY MUM!"

"I seriously don't get how you manage to be a mummy's boy _and _have horrible manners. Those two things really don't usually mix."

"Shut up, Rose."

"Alright, I'm off." Lina stood up from the table, finished with breakfast. Abby stood, too, and stepped off the bench to wait for Lina to make her way under.

"But—" I began to protest.

"See you in class." I watched ruefully at their retreating shapes. Al had gone back to his food and I sneaked a glance at Scorpius. He met my gaze then looked away awkwardly, whistling under his breath. We fell into a very uncomfortable silence. When Al finally finished his food and was in the process of wiping his face with his napkin, he looked at us both weirdly. I coughed into my hand, trying to avoid his eyes as he set his napkin down, still looking at us both suspiciously.

"So, reckon we should go to class?" Albus asked, looking from Scorpius to me slowly. We both stared back at him blankly.

"Yeah, I guess." I said finally. Albus raised his eyebrows at our lack of response. Seeing that neither of us was going to elaborate, he cut to the chase.

"Is there something on my face or something? What's the elephant in the room this time?" Scorpius and I looked at each other, colored slightly, then looked back at Albus. Scorpius was the one to answer this time.

"There's nothing, Al. Let's go to classes, there's five minutes 'till Divination." Al swore and pushed his plate away quickly, getting up. _Let's hope he forgets ALL about breakfast today..._ I thought ruefully.

-A+R+S-

I sat in Professor Trelawney's class, my head lolling on my hand staring into space. This had to be the most boring class in the history of Hogwarts, including History of Magic, and that was saying something. Suddenly I felt a pair of eyes on me. Sneaking my eyes behind me, I saw Scorpius looking at his paper determinedly. Flicking my eyes from side to side, I checked to see that none of my friends were watching, then opened my mouth wide in a yawn, stretching my arms out. From behind me, I heard Scorpius yawn too. _Yep, definitely watching me. _My cheeks heated as I felt his gaze on the back of my head.

-A+R+S-

**Albus P.O.V.**

I stared confusedly between my two friends. It was dinner time, and usually I would be feasting on the wonderful food, but I was too busy concentrating on them. Rose grabbed the bread, accidentally bumping Scorpius' hand. She took a quick look at him, then muttered an apology. I shook my head in confusion. What the hell was going on? And it wasn't just this. Rose had been acting weird since the end of the last year, and now it felt like a glass panel had been put between my best friends and I.

"Don't have an appetite?" Gracie asked, sitting next to me. "That would be a first." I smirked slightly, looking at her slightly.

"Just thinking."

"'Bout what?" She asked, pulling a dish of mashed potatoes over to her. I smiled slightly and began serving myself too.

"Have you noticed anything different going on with Rose and Scorpius?" I asked her. She looked up over the table to where they were sitting, and wrinkled her brow.

"No, not really. I mean, Rose has been a little off ever since she fell down those stairs, but I haven't noticed anything wrong with the both of them." She said.

"Hey, you're right about Rose being off since then! But you haven't noticed anything with the two of them? I guess it's just me then."

"I'll keep an eye out, 'kay? Tell you if I see anything."

"That's slightly creepy."  
"You started it!"

"Whatever." I said, rolling my eyes and turning back to my food. She smirks at me.

"The pull of Hogwarts food returns to your body, I see."

"Well, if you plan on seeing me for the next leg of your life, you'll have to deal with it, Gracie. I love food more than people." I said jokingly through my mouthful.

"Sure you do, Al."

"What are you saying?"

"Would you rather kiss a girl or eat a pizza?"

"Kiss a girl."

"My point exactly."

"Shut it, Gracie."

"No comeback for that, eh?"

"It's not worth my precious supply of comebacks."

"Whatever you say."

"What were we talking about before you insulted me?"

"You brought it down on yourself and I have absolutely no idea."


	3. Give Your Heart A Break

**Chapter 3: Give Your Heart a Break**

I sighed and gathered my bags together, ruffling my blonde hair up normally. "Come on, mate, we'll be late if you stay in there any longer!" I called to Albus from the dormitory. The door opened to reveal a very pissed off looking Albus coming out of the bathroom.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he said grumpily. I raised my eyebrows, looking him over.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Whatever, let's get to breakfast." I said, shaking my head amusedly at my friend's bed head. "Might want to fix your hair, mate." I said, laughing.

"What? Oh." He said, then ran his fingers through his mussed hair, shaking it out and smoothing it normally.

"It's weird how you Potter men can look normal with hair like that." I said to my friend, grinning at his grumpy scowl.

"Yes, well, don't act like you can't either. Girls think you're _more_ attractive with messed up hair." Albus said. I smirked.

"Takes one to know one, Al." he smirked slightly at this and went into the Great Hall in front of me.

"So, why the bad mood?" I asked lightly from behind him. He paused for a moment, then turned to look at me.

"Did you and Rose get into a fight or something? You've been acting weird around each other." Al said, looking at me closely. That wasn't really what I was expecting. I paused, scratching my neck nervously.

"Yeah... We did have a bit of a fight in the summer." Albus' eyebrows rose.

"Is that why she left for Lina's so early?"

"Uhh..." Yes. That was why she left, Albus, because we had a huge fight when you were swimming and then I kissed her and she kissed me back and she ran away. Oh, and then I sent her a letter telling her I loved her and asking her out. And she hasn't replied. But I didn't say that. "I guess."

"Was that why she stayed in her room like a hermit for weeks on end? Damn, mate, what did you say to her?" he sat down at the Gryffindor table. It actually wasn't what I said, Al.

"It was bad." I said simply, sitting down beside him.

"Well, you'd better apologize and make up, because it's not normal between the three of us and I feel like some kind of peacekeeper which is really weird."

"Sure, Al, I'll try."

"Thanks, Scorp. It's weird having us three not be close."

"Yeah. I'll figure it out, mate."

"Good." was all Albus said before he dug into his food. After we were done with breakfast, I craned my neck to see over the Gryffindor table, searching for Rose. I found her familiar brown-red haired head in a group of girls who I identified to be Lina, Gracie, and Abby. Albus had excused himself from the table already, so I walked over there cautiously, until I was standing right behind Rose. I tapped her on her shoulder and she whirled around, staring at me in shock.

"Did I scare you?" I asked, letting a slight smug smile back onto my face.

"No." Awkward situation, same Rose.

"We have to talk about something." I said. She raised her eyebrows but got up from the bench to follow me anyway. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gracie giving Lina a confused look, and Lina shrug in return. I lead Rose out into the entrance hall and stop behind a corner.

"What?" She asks impatiently, crossing her arms.

"Charming." I smirk.

"Cut to the chase. I don't have much time before class." I raise my eyebrows, and she looks down. "Sorry."

"Albus knows something's going on." I said simply. Rose looked back up to me, panicked.

"What'd you tell him?"

"The basics." I said.

"By the basics, please don't tell me you told him that—" I cut her off, shaking my head.

"I told him that we had a fight in the summer and we weren't speaking."

"Oh."

"What'd he say?"

"He told me we'd better make up pretty quick." I said truthfully, looking at her. Rose nodded.

"So I guess we can go back to being normal and telling him to shut up every time he tells us we're having a lover's quarrel." She said after a long silence.

"Only if you want that." I said quietly, looking down at her. She looked up into my eyes, and, for a long moment, we were just standing there, staring at each other. Then she nodded slowly, and turned to walk away. My shoulders slumped slightly as I watched her walk away the spot where I was standing. Sighing, I looked after her.

For the first time, my brain puzzled over a fact that I had overlooked before. Why _had_ she kissed me back? I had never given it much thought, but now I thought about it, wouldn't a natural response be to push me away. I mean, I _was _her best friend of six years. Shaking my head confusedly, I followed Rose's footsteps to class.


	4. Kiss Me

**Author's Note: Okaaaaayyyy people! So, first off, sorry that I had to go away for those two weekends. And sorry for posting this so late at night, too. So, it's not exactly what you would call really long, but I really like it, and I hope you're satisfied, too. So...enjoy! See ya!**

**Chapter 6: Kiss Me**

Albus laughed as he and I rounded the corner, almost bumping straight into Rose. She looked a little startled to see us, but recovered easily, jamming herself in between us and putting an arm around each of our shoulders, our usual position. I shivered slightly at the smell of her sweet flowery perfume. "'Vas happening?" She asked us. We smirked at each other. She raised an eyebrow, and Al was the one to answer.

"We _might have _pulled a prank on Hugo." he said, smirking. Rose rolled her eyes.

"What'd you do this time?"

"We kind of wrote home pretending to be him saying to Uncle Ron that he impregnated his girlfriend." Albus said, chuckling. Rose's eyes widened in panic, and I chuckled, too, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Rose, don't worry. We told him he impregnated his girlfriend with a ferret." Then Albus and I burst out into laughter. Rose rolled her eyes again.

"How old are you two, ten?" She asked incredulously, putting her hand out of the copy of the prank we always kept for the record. We were both rolling around on the ground laughing, but I managed to hand it to her. She began to read it, her eyes trailing fast down the page. At the bottom, she shook her head, letting out a snort.

"Like it?" I asked, grinning like an idiot at her. She raised her eyes to our faces, her eyebrows high on her face.

"'...oh, and by the way the baby is going to be a ferret, dad. Just so you know.'?" She giggled slightly. We both cracked up again. Shaking her head, she grabbed both our shoulders and directed us to be walking again.

"You have to admit, Rosie, it'll be funny when your dad opens that. He won't even bother to read the bottom. He'll just read the first two lines and start panicking." I laughed.

"Why did you chose to put that into the second line, anyway?" Rose asked. I smirked.

"Getting to the point." I winked at her, and I could've sworn her cheeks flushed. She didn't try to suppress a smile this time though. She smiled, then smirked, then burst out laughing. We grinned and joined her. Then we heard a sound and fell silent. There was swearing and a yell.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Rose doubled over with silent giggles as her brother's voice came near us. I came to my senses and grabbed both of my friends' arms, dragging them with me as we ran from Rose's furious brother. He had obviously just gotten some form of response from "his letter home". We ran for a few minutes until the sounds of Hugo Weasley cursing died out. Albus looked around.

"I'm impressed. We got to the seventh floor with just the motivation of a badmouthed ginger. You should start bringing those to practice, Scorp." he said, clapping me on the back. We both chuckled. Then Al looked at Rose. "Oh, right, you already have one." If looks could kill, Al would be a heap of ashes on the floor.

"For your own sake Albus Severus Potter, I hope you were referring to your sister." I laughed again, as Al looked scared.

"Of course, Rosie. I'm gonna dismiss myself now." He said a little nervously, then ran off. I watched him go, letting out a laugh when he was out of earshot.

"Looks like you can scare away any guy, even if you're related!" Rose laughed, too.

"It's one of my powers. I'm awesome, aren't I?"

"Definitely. Because warding off guys is such a wonderful power."

"Well, if the guy is you I doesn't seem to work, even though I try my hardest..."

"I am mortally offended." I quip, pressing my hand to my chest in offense. The smile slides off her face.

"Can we not try to pretend everything is normal right now?" She says tiredly. I look down at her sadly and nod. We walk in silence for a few moments until she breaks the silence again.

"I think we should talk." She stops walking, and turns to me. I stop, too, looking around to make certain there was no one in the vicinity. Rose takes a deep breath and then starts talking. "I...I don't know what happened exactly that day. But what I do know," she looks me right in the eye as she said the next thing. "is that we have kept a lot from each other in the last few years." She falls silent as I look down at the ground, then open my mouth to speak.

"When I met you on the train that year, I didn't know what I was in for," I said to start. I could feel her gaze on me. "My father told me to be careful, he told me to pick my enemies just as carefully as my friends." I met her blue gaze truthfully. "I lied to you that day. I told you that he expected me to hold his old grudges. He didn't. He's grown. I've told Albus this, but I never had the courage to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to seem past it. I didn't want to be 'that Death Eater's son' to you. You know what the first thought that came into my mind was when I saw you?" I smiled slightly at what I was about to tell her. "It was: 'Who'd she get those looks from?'" Rose hit me across the head, but we were both chuckling. "I only saw your father and you together that day." I assured her. She blushed a little. I smiled again and continued.

"Then I became friends with Al and you. It was like a dream at first, I'll admit. We moved up into second year, and I began to notice things more. I began to remember every little detail, and I realized...that it all mattered." she looked down, her blush more apparent now. "It was that year that you started to be more than just Rose Weasley, my best friend. You started being the girl I wanted—the one I loved—but couldn't have. The most gorgeous flower in the garden was the one I couldn't pick, although I was itching to." I reached out and put a finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to mine once more.

"I knew by the end of that year that I loved you." Her blue eyes met my silver ones, and we inched closer and closer together until our lips touched. It wasn't like the other kisses. They were desperate, longing, and full of adrenaline. This one was soft, gentle, and full of passion. We stood there in the abandoned corridor, clinging to each other. When she finally pulled away, I made sure she didn't move far. Our eyes were close, and we just looked at each other, our gazes intense.

"I love you too, Scorpius." she whispered. My heart warmed inside my chest as I pressed my lips to hers once more, but for shorter this time.

"So will you?" I said breathlessly, my voice quiet.

"Yes. I will." She answered the barely spoken question. Then she looked up into my eyes worriedly. "What about Albus?" I sighed at the thought of my friend. We both knew he would be angry.

"He doesn't need to know yet." I said quietly. Rose nodded, still meeting my eyes steadily. We leaned back in.


	5. Without You

**Author's Note: Yes, I know, I'm horrible for being late. Sorry, I got confused since it's a long weekend. Anyway, enjoy! It's pretty long.**

**Chapter 4: Without You**

"UGGHHHH!" I turned my head around to look at Abby, who now had her face planted firmly on her pillow. She was slowly beating her face into it. "I. DON'T. LIKE. HOMEWORK!" She yelled each word between hits. I smiled and walked over to her, grabbing the essay she had just tossed off her bed.

_The Patronus Charm_

_ The patronus charm is cast by saying the phrase "Expecto Patronum". This spell is used to ward off dementors._

Turning my head up from the beginnings of the essay, I let out a long laugh. Abby raised her head from her pillow and gave me a glare. Sitting down next to her, I patted her head like I would a dog. "Gabby," I said in a patronizing tone. "This isn't a very hard essay." She snorted.

"Easy for you to say. _You _can produce one." I sighed.

"Do you want me to help you?"

"With what, the patronus or the essay?" She asked snarkily. "Because it might be a bit easier if _you_ did my essay for me." Abigail said, fluttering her eyelashes and giving me her best puppy-dog face. I smirked down at her and summoned my essay from my chest of drawers. With one flick of my wand I transfered all the words I had written onto her page, then flicked it again so that they immediately rearranged themselves in a way that made it look as she had written it herself. Abby bowled me over in a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cheered, squeezing me tightly. "I don't know what I would do without you!"

"Can't—breath." I choked out. She only squeezed me tighter. When she finally let me go, I began to cough dramatically.

"Oh, shush." she said, hitting me over the head.

"HEY! I just did your essay for you!"

"Yeah, thanks, but I still get to insult you whenever I want to."

"I guess I wouldn't have it any other way." I said, rubbing the top of her head affectionately. She ducked away from me.

"Ey, ey, ey, _watch the hair._" Abby said, warding off my hand and clutching her dark locks. I smiled innocently at her.

"So, do you want me to help you with your patronus or not?" Abby frowned.

"You don't have to. I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out _eventually._"

"Oh, don't be stupid. Come on, I know just what to do." I said. Abby sighed, which I took as agreement. Sitting her back down on her bed, I covered her eyes with my hand.

"HEY!"

"Oh, shush. You would've peeked if I didn't do that." With my free hand, I reached over to her bedside table and took a picture that had been sitting there for as long as I could remember. It depicted her mother, father, and her all in the kitchen covered in cupcake frosting, smiling and waving at the camera. Abby was about five years old in the picture, and she was sitting atop her father's shoulders, smiling cheekily at the camera and laughing as she smeared a pink sugary mustache on her father's face. Holding the picture up in front of her face, I took my hand off her eyes. Blinking her eyes open, she trained them immediately on the picture. Smiling slightly, she took it in her own hand and studied it. After a minute of this, she put it down, looking at me, and I nodded. She knew what she had to do now.

Closing her eyes for a minute, she spoke in almost a whisper. "Expecto Patronum." She said, pointing her wand at the air in front of her. A thick strand of silver flew out of her wand tip, twisting and forming into a magnificent creature.

It was a bird. Not just any bird though. "It's a parrot!" I said, cracking up. Abby opened her eyes and glared at me before looking at her patronus.

"It's not a _parrot, _it's a..." she bit her lip, trying to think.

"Parrot, Abby. It's a parrot."

"Fine, but it's _my_ parrot."

"Yes, let's just keep it as a pet, shall we? Come here, Fluffy!" I said, laughing, calling the patronus the way one would call a dog. Abby scowled and hit me over the head, then stared fondly at the silvery bird. It was beginning to fade already, so she watched disappointedly is it whisked off into thin air. Then she turned to me.

"Rose, what happened to you last year?" The question was so abrupt that it startled me. I looked at her with wide eyes.

"W-what do you mean?" I said, my voice trembling slightly. Abby sat down beside me on her bed and looked at me slightly confused.

"I mean, you sort of...changed? I guess that's it. In the beginning of fifth, you were just like normal, funny, laughing lots, but then you sort of got...touchy about random things, and then you randomly turn up with an injury at the end of 6th. I mean, you can't really expect me to think that there isn't something you haven't told me." Abby said in length, and I sighed. She would find out eventually anyway. So I told her everything. From the beginning of 5th year to the end of 6th. By the end of it, her eyes were wider than the house elves' in the kitchens. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh my god, Rose, I'm so sorry." Abigail said, wrapping her arms around me tightly. As I pulled away, I smiled weakly.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Abs. It's over." I said. Instead of the words comforting her, like I thought they would, she stood up angrily.

"How can you say that? That little piece of shit did that to you, and you know as well as I do that it's not okay!" She said, pacing. I stood up, too.

"I know, Abigail, but I'm alright, really." Her eyes softened as she looked over to me.

"I'm sorry. I just can't believe he got away with it. And you were still a virgin..." I smiled at her sadly. Her eyes glossed over slightly, and I put my arm around her.

"Aww, Abs, don't cry. Please don't." I pleaded, holding her closer. She began to sob anyway.

"I can't help it...you didn't deserve it, no one does...but you? You've always been so wonderful to people. It s-shouldn't h-have h-h-happened to you!" She cried. After a bit, she wiped her tears off and looked at me seriously. "Have you told anyone else?" I shook my head, then rolled my eyes.

"Well, not exactly, but Hugo, Lily Luna, and Lina all know. Now you know, too. You're the only one of them I've told though. Hugo was the one who saved me, Lina was told by Lily, and Lily...well, Lily knows everything."

"Oh." Abby said. "Can I please tell Gracie? I can't hide anything from her, and I think she'd be able to help you." I nodded after a pause.

"But you have to make sure she tells no one else." I added. Abby, for once, didn't make a sarcastic remark. She just nodded dully. Getting up, she hugged me once again and made her way out of the girl's dormitories to the common room. I sighed and walked over to my bed, falling back on it. After a few minutes I noticed I was crying. I wiped the water from my eyes away quickly, turning over onto my stomach so that my head was buried into my pillow.

-A+R+S-

"So, what _exactly_ are we doing out here again?" I said, raising an eyebrow and tapping my foot down on the cold earth and staring out at the lake, then back out at my friends. They all smirked at me.

"We're having a picnic, Rosie Posie!" Hugo said happily, smiling smugly as my other eyebrow went up in skepticism for the idea. I looked them all as if they were crazy.

"Now? I don't mean to state the obvious, but it _is_ the beginning of winter." I said, gesturing to the scenery. There were almost no leaves on the trees.

"The perfect time!" Lina said cheerily, sitting down beside a gigantic basket in the shade of a willow. Everyone joined her, and I stood there giving them a weird look for a few moments, then sighed, shrugged, and joined them on the blanket that was set out there.

We talked for a long time, then Lina checked her watch and gasped at the time. "Oh god, it's almost three!" She exclaimed in surprise. I rolled my eyes. The sun had just started to appear from behind the dense fog.

"Why does it matter, Jo? It's Saturday!" I laughed. She turned her gaze to glare at me.

"Don't. Call. Me. Jo." She said through gritted teeth. I laughed, but held up my hands in surrender. She shook herself off and grinned evilly at me.

"Because we still have LOTS to do." My insides churned nervously. Lina slowly approached me, her hands on her hips. I backed away cautiously, looking over her shoulder to see my friends standing there just smirking at the two of us.

"I don't think you want to move closer." I said warningly, putting my hands up for protection. Lina smirked.

"Oh, but I think I do." She moved until she was standing right in front of me. "Rose, welcome to the second part of our picnic." Then she picked me up and dumped me into the lake. I struggled under the water dully for a few seconds, then worked with it and swam fast toward the edge. My head appeared above the surface right at the edge of the lake, and I got up slowly, the liquid still dripping from my body. I jumped over the bank quickly, smirking at Lina's back. Just then I realized that I was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt. With a white undershirt. The problem was that...uh...my bra...well, my bra wasn't white, to say the very least. Someone wolf whistled. Blushing hard, I crossed my arms over my dripping body. Lina whirled around to stare at me.

"Hey, how did you get _there_ so fast?" she asked, startled. She probably expected me to stay in the cold water, screaming and swearing at her. I wrinkled my nose at the thought. I didn't like people who screamed. It was an unnecessary noise. Well, for stuff like being thrown into the lake by your friend.

"I teleported." I said sarcastically. Some people sitting on the blanked gave me funny looks, obviously not acquainted with the muggle term, but most laughed. Lina frowned playfully.

"Didn't you like it in the water?" she asked childishly, poking out her lip in her best puppy-dog face.

"Aww, but you looked like you wanted a hug." I smiled childishly, too, extending my arms and walking towards her. She gave a little squeak and ran around in circles, me chasing her. Finally I caught up to her and, in an over-dramatized motion, I pushed her right into the lake, jumping in after her. We both came up, gasping and trying to contain our laughter. Lina floated on her back, spreading her arms out to express her enjoyment.

"You guys should come out here! The water is very...refreshing." she says it as if it is a warm summer day.

"Think I just might." Scorpius pulls off his shirt revealing his chest, and I try not to stare too much. He somehow senses my gaze, though, and winks before he jumped into the water from the high bank we were all going off of. The water his jump had expelled splashed me right in the face, but I was already soaked, so I didn't very much mind. I give out a surprised squeak as his head pops up right beside me. "Well hello there." Scorpius smirks. I roll my eyes, sinking lower into the water to conceal my chest from his gaze. He pouts, and I giggle, then look back up to the shore. The people left up there were Albus, Abby, Gracie, Lily, Hugo, Roxanne, Molly, and Lorcan. Wait...no, where was Albus? SPLASH! Oh, there was Albus. Gracie shook her head, smiling, and offered her hand to Abby, who took it. They made their way to the edge and then jumped off in unison, eyes closed. Molly walked over and looked cautiously over the edge, not realizing until the last moment that Roxanne was sneaking up behind her to push her in. She appeared just above the water, sputtering up at her younger cousin. Roxanne dusted off her hands, satisfied, then turned back to Hugo, who was smirking at her.

"Want a ride?" He asked, and she giggled, leaping up onto his back. They ran over to the edge, and Hugo lobbed his little cousin over his head into the water, diving right in after her. Through this all, Lily watched amusedly.

"Come on Lils!" Hugo called from the far out stretch of water he had swum to. "Get into the water!" Lorcan smirked at her, holding out his hand mockingly.

"Want to jump together, Red?" To everyone's surprise, and Lorcan's immense smirk, she took his hand. "On three. One, two, THREE!" Lorcan yelled. Right then he jumped, trying to pull Lily with him, then realizing a minute too late that she had let go of his hand and was laughing openly.

"Yeeaaa—no." she hooted gloriously. He resurfaced and glared up at her.

"Red, do you want to be the only one watching?" he taunted from the water as he swam backwards. Lily sighed.

"You know, I really didn't want to do this, but," Then in a flash she pulled off her shirt and skirt and cannonballed into the water. All the males of the family were gaping in surprise. The moment Lily Luna's head broke the surface once more, Albus began to talk angrily.

"Lily Luna Potter you get right back out of the water and put your clothes on!" he roared as the other Weasley/Potter girls giggled. You see, Lily didn't have anything but her bra and underwear beneath the skirt and shirt. Lily smiled at her brother patronizingly.

"You know, I would, Albie, but I just don't think that's possible."

"And why not?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

"Because, YOU'RE NOT MY MUM!" Lily yelled defiantly, sinking below the water again to swim somewhere else. Albus growled under his breath. I burst into laughter as I felt something tickle my foot. Obviously Lily Luna was passing under my feet at this moment. Everyone gave me weird looks as I laughed and laughed. Albus glared at me, clearly thinking I was laughing at him.

"It's not _funny!"_ he huffed. I just shook my head, trying to stifle my giggles. Lily was no longer at my feet, but somewhere else in the lake. The girl could hold her breath for so damn long it was ridiculous. I had a feeling where she was going, however. Sure enough, someone farther out began to splutter. I turned to see Lorcan Scamander gasping between being pulled under the water repeatedly by an unknown source. After about twenty dunks, a satisfied looking Lily Luna Potter came up just beside him. Lorcan turned to her, fuming.

"Oh, you'll pay for that, Potter." he growled, lunging for her. They both ducked under the water.

"Doubtful." Roxanne scoffed. A few moments later, Lily and Lorcan came back up a few feet from each other. Lily was scowling heavily and Lorcan was smirking at her. The whole clan rolled their eyes, beginning to make our way back to the bank.

Five minutes later, we were all shivering slightly around the remnants of our picnic. Lily was hastily tugging her shirt back on, already having zipped up her skirt with the help of Roxanne. Lorcan was still smirking, pulling his shirt back over his bare chest. Unconsciously performing a heating charm on my body, I wondered what he had done to her in the water.

I didn't have much time to dwell on this, however, because everyone was going back up to the castle. I tried to tie my shoes faster, still shivering as everyone walked away. Albus waited a little impatiently with Scorpius.

"Hurry it up, Rosie!" he said, fidgeting.

"In bed." I muttered under my breath. Only Scorpius heard, however, and he struggled to keep a straight face.

"You can go up if you want, Al." he said. "I'll wait for Rose." I huffed as he smirked and saluted him, leaving us two alone. After a moment of silence as we watched our friend catch up with the rest of the group, I turned to him.

"When I finish tying my laces, are we going to leave?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Nope." he said cheerfully, popping the 'p'.

"That's what I thought." I laughed, finishing the double knot. He reached out a hand to help me up, and I take it, but pull him down into the grass beside me. He lands with a thump a few inches away from me, and begins laughing. We both lie there laughing for a while, then we fall into silence, and he turns to look at me. We're hidden behind the willow, out of the view of the castle, so we don't move away from each other as he sits up. Cupping my face with his hand, he just smiles at me.

"You're so beautiful." he whispers. I blush and look down, and he tilts my head up with his finger, kissing me. "By the way Rose," he says against my lips. Pulling away, he smirks down at me. "I liked your bra." My cheeks flush bright, deep, red, and he pulls me into a kiss again.


	6. Attempted Admission

**Author's Note: I know, I know. I'm really sorry. I hope you didn't abandon me through this! Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 5:**** Attempted Admission**

_Dear Vic,_

_ I haven't seen you in a while. Meet me in Hogsmeade?_

_Love,_

_Rose_

I sighed deeply as I sealed the envelope, attaching it to Aurora's leg, and watching her fly off. It was true, technically, I hadn't seen Victoire in a long time, but that wasn't why I wanted to meet her. The truth was, I needed to get something off my chest. And the first person I had to tell was Victoire. Sure, I had other cousins, but Lily already knew, and I didn't want to burden Molly or Roxanne with something like that. And, honestly, Fred, James, and Albus were out of the question. Don't even get me started on Scorpius.

"You good?" A voice piped up from the doorway. I turned and smiled at my cousin who was leaning at the doorway.

"I'm good." I said to Lily Luna. "Thanks for waiting."

"No problem. I had to send a letter, too, you know?" She teased me lightly, taking my hand and leading me out of the owlery. "Why _were_ you contacting Vic, anyway?" she asked me. I rolled my eyes.

"Is there anything you _don't_ know?" I said, raising my eyebrows. She grins.

"Go on then."

"I need to get used to telling people." I said simply. Her dark red hair swished out of her face as she turned to stare at me.

"You think Vic is the one you should tell first?" Lily asked. I looked at her.

"You think she's not?"

"Well...yeah, I think you should tell her, but...are you sure? I mean, she could tell our whole family." she looked agitated.

"So could you. So could Hugo. Or even Lina." I pointed out. Lily rolled her eyes.

"We're different. Vic is a Veela girl with a perfect husband and a halo around her head. She always does the right thing, and face it Rose, the right thing in this case would probably be to tell your parents." I pause, I didn't think of this.

"I trust Victoire." I say, shrugging, and pushing the portrait hole open. Lily shrugs in defeat, and follows me in.

-A+R+S-

An owl taps on the glass repetitively. Looking over, I spot Aurora with something tied to her leg. I let her in and rip it open eagerly.

_Dear Rosie,_

_ Sounds like a plan! See you!_

_Love,_

_Victoire_

I took a deep breath. Tomorrow was Hogsmeade.

-A+R+S-

Sighing in relief as we walked into The Three Broomsticks, I reveled in the sudden warmth, taking off my coat and placing it on a chair at an open table in the corner. "Do you want me to get drinks?" Victoire asked sweetly.

"Sure, thanks." I say appreciatively, sitting down. She walked over to the bar and begins to order. When she came back, I clutched my glass in my frozen fingers, warming them ever so slightly. Victoire raises her drink to her mouth and took a small sip, and when she set it down, she leaned forward, smiling.

"So, what's been going on, Rosie?" she asked. I shrugged, rolling my eyes, though I felt slightly nervous.

"Same old, same old, I guess. Nothing really happening with us." Victoire smiled again.

"I have to tell you something." she grinned. I raised my eyebrows curiously.

"Really? I suppose I have something to tell you, too." We both waited for the other to speak, then laughed. I gestured for her to start.

"I'm pregnant, Rose. Six months pregnant." My eyes widened, and settled immediately on her stomach. Sure enough, there was a bump there that could not be mistaken for anything else. How could I have not noticed? She put both her hands over it, beaming proudly.

"That's so wonderful, Vic!" I exclaimed happily, reaching over to give her a half-hug over the table. After we let go I scowled. "You knew for SIX MONTHS and didn't tell me?" I asked in mock-anger, crossing my arms over my chest and huffing like a four-year-old. She laughed merrily.

"Actually, I only knew since three weeks before you went back to school. That makes it only about three months I've known."

"Oh, same difference! So, since when again?" I asked.

"End of May. You remember the letters from us where I told you I was feeling moody?" I nodded, raising my eyebrows. She smirked at me and nodded.

"Girl or boy?"

"Girl. We're going to name her Gabrielle, after my aunt."

"Gabrielle Lupin. I like it." I said happily.

"Gabrielle _Rose_ Lupin." She corrected, smiling and taking a sip from her glass.

_"What?" _I asked, startled. She smiled.

"That's going to be her middle name, if you're alright with it. We want you to be her godmother." My eyes widened into great big orbs.

"Of course I will!" my voice sounds like far away, I feel so happy. I hug her again.

"So what did you want to tell me?" she asked pleasantly after I let go. I felt like a cold bucket of ice had just been dumped on my head, breaking me out of my reverie. My next words felt like a heavy weight as I forced them out of my mouth.

"Oh, nothing important right now...come on, this day is about you. How did Teddy react?" I ask.

"Well he..."


	7. Saving All My Love For You

**Author's Note: So, I know I've gotten a lot of reviews lately, and I want to throw out a big thanks to everyone who's supported me, especially ****potterphilsosepher and Nello Orella, I will make sure to check out your stories in the near future! So, I want to reply to some stuff that people said. Okay, first off, in one of my reviews, it addressed the fact that I've been switching tenses a lot. I'm really sorry about that. I'll try to watch it more, I don't know why it's so hard for me! Nello Orella, you don't sound like a perv, and I don't really care even if you do, I don't have a problem with perverts...unless they are middle aged men. I've thought about that a lot. I think it will affect her ability to be physical with Scorpius, but not overly. ****MFINGA25 I do that ALL THE TIME! The worst is when I'm trying to read secretly after my mom thinks I'm asleep and I'm trying to stop giggling. Glad I made you laugh. Soooo, now for the chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 7:**** Saving All My Love For You**

*Lina P.O.V.*

"I feel like we shouldn't be doing this." I whispered into the little device as I closed the door behind me. James laughed from inside the phone.

"Oh, come on, what's life without a little risk?" He said.

"How is there phone signal here again?" I asked questioningly.

"The Room of Requirement doesn't make muggle things go haywire like the rest of Hogwarts. I dunno why, but I've never really looked into it. It doesn't matter why, anyway. Just as long as I can talk to you." James said, sending shivers down my spine.

"How's the graduated version of the Weasley/Potter/Malfoy clan?" I said after a bit of silence.

"Don't let Uncle Ron hear you calling us that! They're boring, all working and stuff. Although, we did get together at the shop to have a party last week. It was a blast. Wish you could have been there."

"Maybe we should make it the official name. We could experiment: see how many times we have to say it in front of him before his ears pop off."

"That wouldn't take long, I imagine." James snorted. I let us fall into a comfortable silence. I could hear his breathing into the phone, soft and lulling, and from the background the sound of voices and clatter of dishes.

"Are you at home?" I asked him.

"I'm at the burrow." he corrected me. "We're about to have dinner, unless Fred steps in and burns something again, or Teddy knocks over something important this time, or Dom—"

"Okay, okay!" I laughed, cutting him off. "Are all the people in your family clumsy?"

"Hey! I'm not clumsy!" James protested.

"Suuurrrreee Jamie." I said patronizingly. James huffed then changed the subject.

"Guess who's here?" He said, and I heard a smirk in his voice.

"Hmm, I don't know, the old cat lady who lives on your corner?" I asked playfully.

"_No."_ I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "Dom's _boyfriend_." I almost dropped the phone.

"_Frank's_ there?" I asked in disbelief.

"You got it. Can't believe he would have the nerve to come, not with him dumping Rose like that. I don't even think Uncle Ron had wind of that until now. He's had this really weird constipated look on his face the whole night; I think he's struggling with whether he should feel angry at the guy for dumping her or relieved that his little girl's single again." I was sent into a fit of uncontrollable giggles as I imagined Rose's father with his face screwed up and his eyes squinting heavily at Frank. I recovered quickly.

"What about Dom and Frank? I mean," I paused. "Do they seem like a better couple than Rose and Frank were?" James made a noncommittal noise.

"I think so. Though that's not really saying much." he said, snorting. We both laughed. In the background, I heard Victoire's soft voice calling James to dinner. James swore lightly under his breath. "I gotta go, Lina."

"That's fine." I fought to hide the disappointment in my voice.

"We can do this again soon, okay?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

"See you, babe. Love you."

"I love you too." I smiled into the phone.

"Bye, love." The phone beeped off after James' words. I clicked off, too, and stared sadly at the phone. It buzzed again, and I looked down hopefully.

_From: Jamie3_

_ To: Joline_

_ Almost forgot, do you want to stay at my place for Christmas break? I'll be good, I promise ;) Love you._

I smiled greatly and began to text him back.

-A+R+S-

*James P.O.V.*

My phone buzzed in my pocket and took it out and hid it under the table, reading her response and smiling.

_From: Joline3_

_ To: James_

_ I'd love to! Gotta tell Rose, lets hope she won't be _too_ disappointed ;) Love you, babe._

I smiled. My mother leaned over to inspect what I was doing, and took the phone from my hands. "Come on, James, no phones here." she scolded, and I looked over at her, abashed. She lifted the phone up to read the conversation, and her expression grew soft. She tossed the phone back at me, rolling her eyes. I caught it, smirking at her expression, and stuffed it back into my pocket, but not before texting back "can't wait".

-A+R+S-

*Lina P.O.V.*

I smiled, shaking my head at his response. Turning off my phone again, I shoved it into my pocket and got up off the bed in The Room of Requirement. Opening the door cautiously, I looked both ways then scurried out, going back up to my dormitory to get some sleep.

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

I tried to stifle my giggles as Filch turned around in circles, looking for the culprit of the sudden pellets of food flying towards him. A warm hand clamped over my mouth, and I looked up to find Scorpius also trying to hide his laughter as the caretaker hopped around angrily.

"Let's go before he thinks to look behind here." he whispered in her ear, taking her hand and pulling her along the deserted corridor. We sprinted, laughing freely, up staircase after staircase, hearing the sounds of Filch's cursing fade away as we raced through the castle. We looked at each other, both of us smirking slightly.

"Race to the astronomy tower?" I asked. He winked.

"It's on." We began to sprint up the stairs as fast as we could. I was better at climbing stairs, since it was easier to run up them with short legs, so I was always a few steps ahead of him. When we reached the corridor attached to the Astronomy tower, I raced to get the advantage, but I only made it a few steps before he caught up to me, putting his arms around my waist from the back, and spinning me around a few times before setting me back on my feet. Leaning over, he kissed my cheek. I rolled my eyes and walked a few feet unsteadily, still dizzy from the times he had spinned me, and sat down on the edge of a pillar. The darkness seemed even more magnified up here, where the stars could contrast it, putting shadows over everything.

Looking back over to Scorpius, I saw that he was looking at me, smiling like an idiot. I got up and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "What's up?" I asked, smiling up at him. He grinned cheekily.

"Just savoring the fact I could do this anytime I wanted to," He said, leaning in and kissing me softly. My arms tightened and his went to my hair, fiddling around with it. I realized he was putting something in it.

"What—" I said, pulling back and touching my hair. He held up something in his hand, grinning. It was a daisy, white and perfect.

"I thought they might look good on you." I guessed there was another in my hair. At that moment I was rather glad that it was dark, because I had turned an embarrassing shade of red. To make up for my silence, I leaned in and kissed him again. He smiled against my lips, his hand unclenching and dropping the other daisy as we pressed together. Just then I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. As I pulled back, my eyes widened as I heard my cousin's voice. Scorpius recognized it, too, and he grabbed my arm to pull me behind a crevice.

"Who's there?" Albus asked in a loud whisper, entering the seemingly abandoned tower. My eyes grow even larger as another familiar voice sounds behind him, and Gracie steps into the room.

"I was sure I heard voices." Gracie says, looking around curiously. Albus snorted.

"Talking. More like snogging, probably." He begins to look around, and Scorpius and I catch our breath.

"Al, there's no one up here." Gracie said, looking around a corner with a perplexed look on her face. She turned back to face him. "It's weird."

Albus wrinkled his nose, and looked at the ground, a weird expression on his face. Bending to pick up a small white flower off the ground, he sniffed it. "Very weird."


	8. Memories Before Your Eyes

**Author's Note: Okay guys, hello again! It's Sunday night, and I've kind of decided that Sunday will be my regular posting time, so it's right on time! It's sort of short, and will be continued on in the next one, since there's a cliff-hanger at the end. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 8:**** Memories Before Your Eyes**

_Climbing up onto the broom, I was swept up into the sky, a smile flying up onto my face. My hair was pushed back as I spun around to look for my fellow team members. Frowning, I scanned the open sky when no one followed me out onto the pitch. Looking around, I saw the cheering crowd, but faintly, faintly, as if through a long tunnel. In horror, I watched as the people that filled the stands began to fade slowly and the pitch began to fade into darkness. In panic, I looked down to see my broom disappear from under me. I screamed in panic as I fell into the never-ending blackness. I didn't hit the ground hard, however, but landed on my feet lightly. Looking around into the darkness, I could just make out a familiar face. I gave a sigh of relief. "Scorpius." He didn't smile, but gave me a sympathetic look, putting a hand on my shoulder._

_ "Rose." He said softly. I wrinkled my brow._

_ "What is it?" I asked._

_ "Rose." He repeated. "Turn around." I turned slowly. There was nothing there. Turning back to Scorpius to ask him what he was talking about, I realized he had disappeared. Confused, I whipped back around and gasped, my hands flying to my mouth._

_ He looked the same. The same arrogant smirk. The same cold black eyes. I could even smell the telltale scent of expensive cologne on the air. "Miss me?" Philippe Nott drawled._

-A+R+S-

I sat bolt up in bed, my palms sticky, the back of my neck dripping with sweat. As my surroundings came into focus, I registered that I was my dorm room, the window slightly open to let a draft seep in, and the beds next to me occupied by my friends. I was safe. My eyes darted, however, to the open window, and shiver slid down my spine. Swiftly, I slid out of bed and grabbed my wand from the bedside table, using it to light the way to the door.

It was a cold night, but my shivering was not from the wintertime chill, even though I was dressed only in my pajamas, which included a too big tie-dyed t-shirt that had once been my brother's and a pair of synthetic running shorts that I only ever used to sleep in. I had slipped into my slippers on the way out(which were a pair of Toms with fake fur on the inside), but my arms and legs were bare and freezing cold.

I made my way down the long staircase into the common room, using my wand to light the way. When I reached it, I found the fire burning dully, the embers of it just enough to illuminate two boys sitting on the couch in front of it that I knew well. Before I could slip out of sight, Scorpius turned his head and spotted me. His eyes met mine and I saw concern and surprise reflected in them. He nudged Al, who looked as well.

"What are you doing up?" I asked hoarsely, coming to sit in an armchair near the couch and tucking my feet under me.

"We could ask you the same question." Albus grinned at me, discarding his quill with a flourish on the small table and stretching his arms back. Scorpius frowned at me.

"We were doing homework. What's up? Couldn't sleep?" I played with a stray thread at the bottom of my shirt.

"Something like that." Looking down at the piece of parchment Albus had been writing on, I examined it. "What are you doing?"

"Divination." he answered, rolling his eyes. "If only the student population could vote to have it taken out." I snorted at him.

"It's our your own fault for taking it again." I had dropped Divination after sixth year, along with Scorpius, yet Albus had insisted on still taking it by the explanation that it had less homework.

"I still stick to my logic from then."

"Oh, do you? Having some fun filling out diagrams of Uranus, are you Albus? I'm sure having Gracie as your partner has been just a great benefit, hasn't it?" Scorpius laughed, and Albus just glared at them both. Scorpius got up from the couch, stretching and putting his work back in his bag.

"Well since we're all up how about we take a walk out of the portrait hole and explore the castle a bit more." he said. Albus scoffed.

"We don't need to "explore the castle a bit more". We know every nook and crannie there is to it and you know that as well as I." Scorp shrugged.

"Never know." Al rolled his eyes good-naturedly and got up.

"Fine."

"I don't know..." I said apprehensively.

"Oh, come on. Don't choose this moment to be your mother's daughter." Albus encouraged. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm always my mother's daughter, Albus."

"Whatever. Come with us."

"Okay, fine. But let's not go stay out too much, it's late."

"Spoken exactly like your mother."

"Oh, shut up, Scorp."

"Lovers quarrel."

"Albus, I'm warning you." I said, raising my wand to shine the light in his eyes.

"Gosh, fine! You two have no sense of humor. It was just a joke. Not like that would ever happen." He muttered, walking away. Scorpius looked back at me, smirking slightly, as I tried not to laugh my best. Oh Albus how clueless you are. Just then we heard a sound behind us, followed by a cat screech and the sound of Peeves cackling. Albus and I looked at each other, panicked. Scorpius snorted and grabbed our arms, pulling us into a run.

-A+R+S-

Scorp ran ahead of me, dragging Al and I along.

"Where are we going?" Albus asked as we moved. We had been running for a bit, in the direction of the staircase that lead back to Gryffindor tower, I assumed, since we had wandered away from it in the time we were out. Scorpius slowed and looked back, a grin on his face. He gestured us on, pointing to our destination, a meer broom closet.

"Oh come on Scorpius, you brought me here just to take us into a dingy old broom—" I began to speak annoyed, but then my breath caught in my throat as I realized which staircase we were beside, which landing this was, and, finally, which broom closet _that_ was.

"You know, if you wanted to talk to us, you could have just done it back there." Al said calmly, not noticing my pallor.

"I didn't want to talk—I was thinking we could set a trap for Peeves. Anyway, just come on!" Scorpius rolled his eyes at his friend's stupidity. Albus growled something in return, but proceeded forward. My vision clouded with panic, wanting to run, hide, anything to get away from this wretched place. Scorpius and Al seemed to sense that I was not following them, and they looked back, confused. Then Scorpius spotted my expression, and looked worried.

"What's wrong?" His voice seemed to come from a distance away, my eyes were twitching back and forth, remembering, flashing back to that night. _Just remember this Rose, now you can't run, you can't hide, and no one can hear you scream._ Nott's malicious voice rang through my mind.

"I have to go!" I said frantically as I wheeled around and, before I could run, came face to face with none other than the person I had never wanted to see again. Standing there, as clear as he had been in my nightmare, was Philippe Nott.


	9. Frozen and Can't Breathe: part 1

**Author's Note: OKayyyyy, readers! I'm sorry it's kind of cut off, **_**again,**_** but I went overtime to give this to you know, I thought you'd appreciate it more than next Sunday with parts 1 and 2. So, enjoy! Some big stuff goes down...**

**Chapter 9:**** Frozen and Can't Breathe**

**Part 1**

In my mind, you could hear a pin drop. The whole world had came to a halt, screeching and teetering on the edge of a steep cliff. I felt like I was hanging on the edge before a long drop, and the boy in front of me loosening my fingers. The clack of one of his shoes on the floor shattered my thoughts and brought me back to reality. His face was drawn into a smirk, just like it had been that night.

"Bringing other boys to this place too, now are we Rosie. I feel so forgotten." Nott said smoothly, looking past me at Scorpius and Al.

"Leave me alone." I whispered, my fear coming off in waves. He laughed, a malicious, scary laugh that echoed off the walls.

"Leave her alone Nott." Al said fiercely, walking up to me and standing protectively in front of me. Nott stopped laughing, but the scary smile was still on his face as he looked past Albus at me.

"I thought I would get a better welcome back than that, just reminiscing old times, Rosie." He sneered.

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius said, looking confused from me to Nott. I looked down at the floor.

"Oh, so you haven't told your friends yet, huh Rosie?" Nott asked me, looking menacing. "Be careful, maybe it might turn out just like it did with Longbottom when you didn't tell _him._" I fled, my footsteps fast an urgent, going up the staircase, Nott's sinister laugh echoing behind me. Scorpius took one more look at Nott and ran after me, Al right after him.

_What is he doing here?_ I thought as I ran blindly up the Gryffindor staircase. When I reached the portrait hole I muttered the password quietly, pushing it open and flying into the common room. Several heads turned at my appearance, but luckily they weren't strangers. I didn't stop to think before running into Lily's arms.

"Shhh...what's wrong?" she asked comfortingly, rubbing circles on my back. I started to cry.

"H-He's b-back, Lily. He's _h-here_." Her arms tightened as her muscles tensed. Lorcan, standing up awkwardly in the background, stepped forward.

"Do you need me to, uh... do something?" he asked hesitantly. I could feel Lily shake her head over my head.

"I think it's better if you just go." she said. He nodded and started up the boys staircase, casting a concerned glance back over his shoulder before he disappeared. My cousin, although she was a year younger than me, was at least two inches taller. I sobbed into her shoulder as she held me tightly.

The portrait hole burst open again and in came a very concerned looking Scorpius with Albus in tow.

-A+R+S-

*Lily P.O.V.*

I turned my head to look at the portrait hole just in time to see Scorpius and Albus appearing through it. "Rose, what was—" Albus started, then his eyes fell onto the scene in the room. His eyes softened and his expression turned concerned. The two boys made their way over to the place we were standing and Scorpius reached out to touch Rose's shoulder gently, but she flinched away.

She had stopped crying, but her face was still hidden in the folds of my jumper. I pulled away slowly, my hands on her shoulders. I expected her face to be red and puffy, but instead it was a blank, cold, white with long tear tracks down her cheeks that looked like they were made out of blood. Her eyes were down on the floor, and a lock of hair fell in front of her face. I didn't think I had ever seen something more sad in my life.

"Rose, are you okay?" Albus tried again, looking at his cousin with wide eyes. She turned her face up to him and, looking at him with blank blue eyes, shook her head. Suddenly, she flinched away from my touch and ran up the stairway to her dorm, her feet making no sound as she scurried away like a terrified mouse. Sadly, I watched her run. Why did he ever have to come back?

Turning back to face the boys, I found them both staring at me. "Is there something you need?" I asked snarkily, pushing aside my sadness for my friend. Scorpius spoke for the first time, and his eyes bore into mine.

"We _need_ to know what's wrong with Rose." I met his eyes, and my amber battled with his gray.

"Only Rose can tell you what's wrong with her." I said firmly. Scorpius gazed back.

"But you know. You always know, and you never tell. You can't lie to us again. We know something's wrong." Now I was confused.

"When did I lie to you before?" I asked, tilting my head to one side.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know." he said scornfully, glaring at me. I was about to open my mouth to say that I really _didn't_ know when it hit me. My mouth formed an 'O' shape. _"So what did she say?" Scorpius asked impatiently. "It's all right. She was just overreacting, it's nothing really."_

"Oh, that." I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Are you going to tell us what she said then, at least?" Scorpius growled at me. I was taken aback. I had never seen Scorpius this angry before. Composing myself, I looked him straight in the eyes again.

"She didn't." I said simply. Scorpius glared at me.

"And what's that supposed to—" he started, but Albus cut in. He was staring at me.

"What do you mean, she didn't?" he asked. There was curiosity in his voice, but it was also slightly scared. I looked at them both sadly.

"She refused to tell me anything that had happened to her then." Albus' eyes widened, and he let out a low groan.

"What were you thinking not telling us that?" Albus said, his voice taking on a tone that would have been expected from Aunt Hermione.

"She begged me to not tell. She was crying, what could I do? I wanted to protect her." I said. Scorpius turned his head to stare at me.

"Protect her by keeping a secret that might harm her?"  
"You don't even know what happened, how can you—"

"I KNOW ENOUGH!" he yelled. I went silence. His breath came out in pants. "I know enough to know that whatever happened made her cry in front of someone else twice, if not more. You know that was the first time I ever saw her cry?" My breath caught. I stared at him. What he said was true, and I hadn't really made the connection yet. Rose. Had. Cried. The same Rose who bandaged all her little cousin's cuts when they got hurt. The same Rose that promised eleven year old Roxanne Weasley that she wasn't going to cry because she knew it made others sad. The same Rose that thought screaming was an unnecessary sound. The same girl who had been raped by Philippe Nott. I met their eyes.

"Okay." I let the word out. "I'll tell you."


	10. Frozen and Can't Breathe: part 2

**Author's Note: This is it! What you've all been waiting for...well, depending on who you are, but still. I really wanted to post it early, but all my teachers were giving SO MUCH homework gosh! And I'm not even in high school yet! So, without further ado, enjoy part 2!**

**Chapter 10:**** Frozen and Can't Breathe**

**Part 2**

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

"That sick bastard!" Albus roared, pacing around. He threw a punch at the wall in his frustration, fuming. I just sat there on the couch, my eyes fixed on the space in front of me.

"Scorpius?" Lily asked uncertainly, putting a hand on my shoulder. She flinched as she touched me, but I didn't shove her off. Lowering my eyes, I put my face in my hands, letting a few hot tears seep through my fingers. If I had ever stopped to think about the way she was acting...

"The night after the game..." I said to myself quietly, lifting my head to look at Lily for confirmation. She nodded sadly. "Who else knows?" I asked.

"Nearly everyone except you two. Hugo is the one who found her originally. He told me, I told Lina. I know Rose told Abby and gave her permission to tell Gracie." Lily said. My mouth fell open.

"Why were _we_ the last to know? We were her best friends first!" I said, raising my voice angrily. Lily met my eyes unwaveringly.

"It was the exact reason she didn't tell me that he was harassing her; she didn't want me getting involved, and she doesn't want anyone's pity! That's how Rose works!"

"Well it's messed up!" I said angrily.

"I know it is Scorpius, but she doesn't know how to be anything else." Lily said sadly. Her face changed and it was made angry. "I can't believe how anyone would do something that horrible to someone like Rose. You know that was the second time I have ever seen her cry? The first time was when I asked her to tell me what was wrong when you asked me. I swore then that whoever had made her cry like that would pay. And I still haven't fulfilled that promise." He voice dropped to almost a whisper. I just looked at her. Lily was like a little sister to me, since I was almost part of the family. So I did what a brother would do. I hugged her. She wrapped her small arms around me and let out a sniffle. I tightened my hold around her.

"We'll all get through this somehow. Soon everything will be okay again." I said to her. When I let go, Albus hugged her, too. Then, after he let her go, he turned to me.

"I still want to bludgeon him."

-A+R+S-

*Lily P.O.V.*

"We should probably go to bed." I said, wiping my eyes. "It's like two in the morning or something." Albus raised his eyebrows.

"What were you doing out of bed, anyway?" he said sternly. I rolled my eyes.

"Before you two came in, Lorcan was there too. He woke me up, told me he wanted to talk to me. Turns out he didn't, he just woke me up so he could annoy me. I was about to leave when Rose ran in." Albus laughed slightly, turning away to go up the boys staircase. Scorpius looked at me, then followed him.

"Tell us if anything else happens, okay?" he said, an edge of concern to his voice. I nodded, moving to go up my own staircase.

-A+R+S-

*Lily P.O.V.*

I grasped my binder in my hands and I made my way down into the dungeons for potions. I normally walked fast, but I had left early, so I was taking my time. The dungeon was very deep under the lake and I was about halfway there when I noticed a door ajar on my way. Curiously, I went closer to peer inside it. There was a man inside it, but his back was turned to me, and he was looking out of the window. He was dressed in all dark clothes, and I could smell his expensive cologne. As I opened the door wider, he turned around, and my eyes widened at the sight of my cousin's torturer. He smirked at me.

"Look at what the cat dragged in." He sneered. I glared at him with fierceness.

"I hate you."

"Come to avenge your dear cousin, have you Potter?" he sneered at me.

"Maybe I have, Nott."

"Yeah, well, you're wasting your time. I'll be gone by tomorrow morning if that's what you're worried about."

"So why did you come? Wanted break her apart once again?" I threw at him, drawing my wand and holding it tightly, but not raising it.

"Maybe. Actually, it's not her I wanted to break apart."

"Then who was it?"

"Her boyfriend. That Malfoy boy." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you mean? They're not dating."

"Yes they are, you stupid bitch. And I knew the only thing that would break him was her being broken. She was just a toy in my game." he snarled.

"You monster." I said quietly, raising my wand. "YOU _MONSTER!"_ The curse was formed on my lips, and I was about to perform it when a firm hand grasped my arm. Angrily, I looked over to find Lorcan holding my arm, a determined look on his face.

"He's not worth it, Red." he said, some of his normal smirk in his voice, but in a tone that it held was not one I had ever heard him use. "Come on." he sighed, leading me out of the classroom. I looked back to see Nott's sneering eyes boring into my back, a smirk on his face again. Once we were out of the classroom and down the hallway where I was sure Nott couldn't hear us anymore, I yanked myself out of his grasp and prodded him in the chest.

"What was that for?" I yelled at him. "That prick did things to my cousin that you have no idea—"

"Yes I do Lily."

"No you don't."  
"Yes I do. I listened to what you said to Albus and Scorpius last night. I heard you tell them he raped her too." I stared at him, anger building. Dropping my books and using both my hands, I pushed him.

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" I screamed at him.

"YOU DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT NOW? YOU DON'T THINK I DON'T FEEL LIKE CRAP NOW? But I know and that can't be reversed."

"I wish it could. You're the last one I'd want knowing," I said disdainfully, picking up my books and turning to leave. "You better not say anything to my cousin." Then I left.

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

I got up in the morning ready to lie. I looked in the mirror and fixed my hair, tried to act normal. I was ready to go down and tell them that it was an overreaction to something and I felt sick or he reminded me of someone I didn't like. I was ready to lie when he came up behind me. Scorpius came in silently and stood behind me in the mirror. I had watched him walk towards me, and in the reflection I saw him stand behind me and wrap his arms around me, and I couldn't.

"Is it true what Lily says?" he asked me.

"What does Lily say?" I asked, but I knew.

"About what Nott did to you." He said, his warm breath against my neck.

"Yes." I breathed out the word. I could feel his sigh from behind me without looking. I could feel the sadness in his gaze on my face. "It's true."

-A+R+S-

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

"It's true." Rose said. My heart sank. I had wanted her to tell me that it wasn't true, that Lily was just making up things. But she didn't. I didn't know what to say, but my lips did. On their own accord, they said the only thing I could say at that moment.

"I love you." I said. I could see the shock in her face in the mirror, and she turned around to look at me.

"I love you too."

-A+R+S-

It was two weeks from the day that Scorpius and Albus had learned about Rose being hurt by Philippe Nott, and everything had been forgiven. The boys understood why Rose hadn't told them and though they were still a little wary on the subject, there was no more secrets oncemore. Well, except Rose and Scorpius. Scorpius ran down the staircase to the great hall, waving a letter.

"Hey, guys!" He yelled, catching sight of Rose, Albus, Lily, and Lorcan together. He ran towards them, smiling. "My dad says you can come over for Christmas break. How about it?"

"That sounds wonderful." Rose grinned, hugging him. The rest of them echoed. They were about to have their first winter with the Malfoys.


	11. The Malfoy Manor

**Author's Note: 'Ello all! So, I'm really sorry for the long delay for this Chapter, but you know, busy busy busy. Be happy, though, Thanksgiving break is coming up, and after then I'll be pretty much done with ALL High School apps, so I'll have more time to right. This is my longest chapter in a long time, so I hope you enjoy. The Last Christmas Part 2 will be up next Sunday! Enjoy, loves!**

**P.S. It's Rose P.O.V. throughout the whole chapter.**

**Chapter 11:**** The Last Christmas Part 1**

**Malfoy Manor**

*Rose P.O.V.*

I laughed as Lily leaped off the train, then presented her hand formally to help me down. With matching sarcasm, I took it, pulling up my imaginary skirt to take a deliberate step onto the crowded platform, which ended badly as Lily squirmed away from Lorcan, who had put his hand on her waist from behind. When I had got up from the pavement, I laughed at them. Lily growled at me.

"How am I going to possibly deal with him for a whole two weeks?" Lily groaned as Lorcan smirked at her.

"I'm sure you'll manage." I chuckled. She glared at me.

"You're ever so helpful."

"Cheers, Rosie." Lorcan smirked, and I grinned at him again before moving away, craning my neck to find my distinguished family in the crowd. The two first people I saw were Vic and Teddy, who were kissing. Teddy's hands were placed on Victoire's pregnant belly, and one of her hands was resting on the back of his neck, one on his waist. I looked on wistfully, and, apparently sensing my gaze, Victoire pulled away from Teddy's embrace, and turned to look at me. Smiling, I walked over, hugging her delicately.

"Hi Vic!"

"Hey Rose! You'll never believe what happened today! We went to Mungo's, and guess what we found out?" Victoire was practically bursting with excitement.

"What?" I smiled, excited.

"It's a girl!"

"That's so cool!" I cooed, hugging her again. Teddy came up behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her middle. "Congratulations, you guys." Teddy grinned.

"Thanks Rose. I heard you're staying at the Malfoy's for Christmas. Bet your dad's happy about _that._" he laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"My dad needs to get over himself. He hasn't spoken to the Malfoys in nearly twenty years. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will be fine with Scorp and I's friendship." Teddy laughed.

"No, I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will be exactly the same." I raised my eyebrows and stuck out my hand.

"I'll bet you." I said. Teddy smirked.

"You're on. Five galleons to the winner."

"Deal, _cousin._" We shook and Vic rolled her eyes. Just then Scorpius came running up.

"Rose, we should probably get going soon. Hey Teddy, Victoire! I heard about the baby, congratulations!" Teddy smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, man. Take care of Rose here. Don't do anything I wouldn't." He winked. Scorpius smirked and I hit Teddy. Victoire laughed.

"Don't listen to Teddy. If you really want to be careful, don't do anything her dad wouldn't want you doing!" I scoffed.

"If I was following all my father's rules I would be going home right now."

"True enough. Bye Rose!" Vic waved, and I smiled back, grabbing Scorp's arm and dragging him over to my other family members. He groaned as we approached my father, and I grinned at him innocently.

"Hi dad!" I said cheerfully, tapping my dad on the shoulder. He turned to smile at me, pulling me into a hug.

"Are you still going over to Malfoy's for Christmas?" I felt him frown into my shoulder. Pulling back, I smiled sadly at him.

"Yes, dad, I am. I want to spend Christmas at Scorp's before we leave Hogwarts." He sighed, but nodded his head in submission. Turning to look at Scorpius beside me, he said to him sternly:

"You better take good care of my baby girl, clear?" He said.

"I'll make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Scorpius said, winking at me, and the corner of Ron's mouth twitched, almost as if he was about to smile.

"I'll see you in the summer." Ron said gruffly, pulling me into another hug.

"Where's mum?" I asked when I pulled back.

"She had work. She told me to tell you to have fun, though." My dad said. I smiled and gave him a last hug, then ran off, pulling Scorpius by the hand.

When I slowed down, we were at the far side of the platform, hidden from view. Scorpius grinned down at me.

"I think I'm growing on him." Smiling, I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. He kissed me back eagerly, running his hand through my hair. Just when things were getting heated I heard the sound of a throat being cleared behind us. Blushing profusely, I turned to see a very beautiful woman. She had thick caramel colored hair, and dancing blue eyes. _Scorpius' eyes._ I realized, with a sense of dread. Her expression was that of amusement, and she smiled at the expressions on our faces.

"Mum." Scorpius muttered bashfully, looking down at his feet. Astoria Malfoy smiled at the embarrassed expression on her son's face, and walked towards us.

"I was just looking for you two!" She smiled gently, her tone humorously scolding. Turning to me, she put out a delicate hand, smiling warmly. "You must be Rose. My son has told me so much about you. I'm Astoria Malfoy. You can call me Astoria."

"It's very nice to meet you." I said politely, shaking her hand. Her laughing eyes turned to glance at her son, then back to me.

"You two are really the closest of friends, aren't you?" My cheeks flamed at this, and I looked down at my hands. Astoria laughed a tinglingly rich laugh, putting a hand on my arm. "Oh, don't be embarrassed dear, I'm only teasing. Now, Scorpius, would you like to go back to your father so you can introduce Rose to him? We should be heading home soon." Scorpius, still clearly embarrassed, only nodded. We walked a short ways to stop at a group in which resided Albus, Lorcan, and Lily already, looking slightly impatient for us to get there. With his back to us stood Mr. Malfoy, who was tall and pale blonde but didn't have his hair slicked back like it was the first time I saw him, on the first of September in my first year of Hogwarts. At the sound of our approaching feet, Mr. Malfoy turned to look. His eyes lit as they landed on his wife and son, then they drifted to me in between them. Something flickered in his eyes, and his face broke into a warm smile. Walking towards us, he stuck out his hand.

"Hello Rose. It's very nice to meet you at last. I've heard so many good things. I'm Scorpius' father, but you may call me Draco." I smiled back, a little startled by his warmth.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Mr. Malfoy. Draco." I said, taking his hand and shaking it. He grinned down at me.

"I'm sure you've heard so many stories about how dearly your parents and I loved each other during our own school times. Don't worry, I don't bite." I laughed, my nerves melting away. Draco looked down at me, and I saw a bit of nostalgia in his eyes as he said: "Has anyone ever told you you look exactly like your mum?"

-A+R+S-

I wrapped my arms around my knees, breathing in the scent of the clean white sheets and comforter that lay on my bed in the room I had just been introduced to in the tower of the Malfoy Manor. The way I had imagined the Manor to look when I thought about it was far from how it looked at this time. Though my mother had told me stories of its dark walls and forbidding shadows, the manor now looked quite lovely plastered onto the landscape of the English mountainside. The ivy that grew up it's face didn't look scary, rather gave the old house a worn feel, like the pages of an old book.

As they had walked inside the Manor, Draco had explained to me that after the Dark Lord had fallen, and his parents went to jail, he and Astoria—at that time just family friends with a common grief—had worked tirelessly to restore the house from its gloom to look more welcoming. They wanted to erase all traces of evil presence from the mansion, and had done a great job.

Scorpius had separated from his parents to bring his friends up to their rooms. Albus was in a close room to Scorpius', which was on the second level, and Lorcan next to them. Lily they dropped off at the bottom of the long staircase Scorp told me was leading to my room. As we climbed, he told me that Teddy Lupin's grandmother, Andromeda, had occupied this room when she was young, and he thought I would very much like it.

He had been right, I did very much like it. The large windows reflected the sunlight and I could see to a small lake that Scorp told me he had gone swimming in in the summer when he was younger. It was all very beautiful.

Standing up from the bed, I brushed off the lint from my jeans, and headed down the steep winding staircase. Scorpius was at the bottom when I came down, his first foot on the stair. He looked up to see me, and smiled.

"How do you like the view?" I grinned.

"I love it." Descending onto his level, I wrapped my arms around his waist. Pushing myself up onto my tiptoes, I kissed him slowly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Scorpius whispered, kissing me again. I smiled into it, savoring the smell of fresh snow on his body, peppermint on his lips. Pulling back, I smiled up at him.

"What did you come to tell me?" I asked.

"My mum's baking downstairs. Thought you might want to come to try some." I smiled and nodded.

"Is that why you taste of peppermint?" I joked. Scorpius smirked.

"No, that's because I have a stash of Honeydukes in my bedroom." I raised my eyebrows.

"I'll hold you too that." Scorpius laughed.

"I'm sure you will." We were still bickering when we walked into the kitchen. I smelled it from miles away, though. The smell of gingerbread was overpowering. Astoria turned to grin at us, holding out a pan of cookies.

"Would you like one, Rose?" Astoria offered, her eyes twinkling. I smiled and took one, smiling as I bit into it.

"Thank you." I said. Her son huffed.

"What about me?"

"You've already had one!" Mrs. Malfoy teased, taking the pan away from his reach. Scorpius rolled his eyes, going and flopping down onto the sofa next to Albus. Albus had just taken a huge bite from his cookie, and he grinned at his best mate through the gingerbread, chewing it loudly. Scorpius groaned. Just then, Lily ran into the kitchen down the stairs, looking flustered, with her hair wild. Spotting me and Astoria in the kitchen, she ran over to us, catching her breath and pointing back up the way she had come.

"How am I supposed to spend TWO WHOLE WEEKS with that...that THING in the SAME HOUSE?" She demanded, glaring at me. At that moment, Lorcan appeared into the room as well, wearing a smirk. I laughed loudly. Astoria, perplexed, looked over to where Lily Luna's finger was pointing, and then giggled when Lorcan spotted Lily, and made to come over. Lily put both her hands out in front of her, guarding herself from her fellow Beater.

"Don't come any closer." She growled at him.

"Or you'll what, Red?" He laughed openly. I turned to Astoria, smiling and shaking my head.

"They're always like this." I admitted. Astoria smiled.

"Reminds me of Draco and I when we were younger." I raised my eyebrows, looking from her to the squabbling pair on my other side.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. Astoria nodded and laughed.

"You should've seen us both when we were working on this house. I swear we argued in every single room."

"But how did you end up like you are, then?" I asked. Mrs. Malfoy smirked.

"I got pregnant." The words made me blush a fiery red. Astoria laughed at my face.

"Well, that's not going to happen with them, if I can help it!" Albus yelled from the other room. Mrs. Malfoy laughed again, and Lily and Lorcan, caught up in their battle of wills, still were unaware of what was going on around them.

"So," Astoria started, taking out the second pan of cookies from the oven, and sliding them off neatly onto a cooling cookie sheet. She lowered her voice. "What's going on with you and my son?" Her voice wasn't hostile, rather amused and slightly knowing. I blushed to the roots of my hair.

"We're kind of dating?" I said, but it came out as more of a question than a solid response. Astoria smiled teasingly.

"Kind of?" I looked around shiftily.

"No one else knows." I said softly to her. She nodded understandingly, but she didn't look surprised.

"Don't worry dear, I won't tell."

-A+R+S-

"Rose. Rose. Time to get up," Someone whispered into my ear. I groaned and rolled over. "Come on Rose, get up. You're going to miss the first snow."

"Lemme alone..." I groaned out in my morning voice.

"Fine, you leave me no choice." Scorpius whispered. A few moments after, something white and hold was trickling down my face. Sitting bolt upright, I screamed. Albus and Scorpius stood there laughing their butts off at my expression. I wiped the snow off my body, getting up out of bed slowly.

"You have two seconds to run." I stated murderously. Albus turned pale and scrambled to get to the staircase, Scorpius, still laughing, running after him. Growling under my breath, I raced down the stairs after them, and through the chilly mansion.

"I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU TWO!" I roared, racing after them into the kitchen and skidding to a halt at the sight of everyone there. Astoria looked over at me and smiled.

"Oh, Rose, you didn't miss the first snow!" She said in delighted tone like I had not just been threatening to decapitate her son. I smiled sweetly at her.

"Oh, trust me Astoria, I already had a glimpse of it."

-A+R+S-

"Just lift me a bit farther up!" Lily exclaimed as she stretched to reach the top of the Christmas tree, an ornamental star in her hand. Lorcan laughed and extended his arms even more, carelessly lifting her a few inches higher. Satisfied, Lily placed the star on the top branch of the tree, smiling.

"Can you let me down now?" She said down to Lorcan. He smirked up at her.

"But Red, I quite like this position." Snapping his head around for the first time, Albus narrowed his eyes at the position the pair of them were in. Lily was scowling down at Lorcan, and Lorcan was smiling cheekily up at her, his head level with her hipbones.

"Let. Me. Down." Lily Luna growled at her fellow Beater. Continuing to smirk at her, Lorcan lowered her very slowly so that her feet were on the ground, but didn't let her go. With his careless half-smile plastered onto his face, he leaned over and whispered something in her ear that made her cheeks go slightly red. Looking furious, she stamped hard on his left foot, and he let her go, cursing. Laughing, I stood back to admire their work on the tree. Halfway through decorating it we were getting very annoyed with Lily and Lorcan's squabbles, so we decided that we had done enough work and that they were going to do the rest themselves.

"Well done, you all." Draco said, coming into the room to admire the Christmas tree. Lily huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at Lorcan. Draco looked amused at the two of them, but just shook his head, laughing, and left the room. It was almost six, and the light outside was dimming. I had always loved Christmas Eve. Sometimes we would open some presents then. The whole thing was about family, but Christmas Eve was something else. The feel of anticipation, the smell of fresh snow, the inviting smell of pine needles that wafted into every corner from the beautiful tree.

"Dinner time!" Astoria called from the kitchen, faintly. Albus rubbed his hands together in delight, running to help Mrs. Malfoy in the kitchen. Lorcan left the room with Scorpius following him, slapping his friend on the back jokingly. Lily was still fuming slightly.

"What'd he say?" I asked, trying to conceal my grin. Knitting her eyebrows together slightly, she flushed. "Come on, I want to know!"

"None of your business." I raised my eyebrows and she sighed. "Fine, he told me he would've liked that position even more if we were alone." I jerked my head back, wrinkling up my nose.

"I take it back, I didn't want to know!" I said, disgusted. Lily smiled slightly.

"Come on then." We made our way over to the dining room table at which everyone was already sitting around. The two empty spots were between either Scorpius and Al or Albus and Lorcan. Winking at Lily, I sat next to Scorpius. When Lily had sat down, Astoria raised her glass to make a toast.

"To your last Christmas Eve before you leave Hogwarts!" she exclaimed, raising her glass.

"And to finally seeing to Malfoy Manor!" I added quickly, smiling at Scorpius. He grinned back and we clinked glasses. After everyone had toasted, he leaned over to whisper in my ear:  
"Happy Christmas Eve, Rosie." I turned my head, and we grinned secretly at each other.


	12. Lily Potter Knows Everything

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I posted on time! Almost didn't, so I have to be short with this! Next chapter they'll be back at Hogwarts! Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 12:**** The Last Christmas Part 2**

**Lily Potter Knows Everything**

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" A voice said loudly near my left ear. I groaned and rolled over, hugging the pillow to my chest. Someone snorted, and I heard the tapping of a pair of feet on the floor, then sudden light flooded into the room. Groaning again, I sat up slowly, shielding my eyes from the glow. Squinting until the person in front of me came in focus, I looked at them confusedly. At first, due to the red hair, I had thought it would've been Rose, but it was actually Lily.

"What're you doing in my room?" I asked blearily, surveying her. She was dressed in a warm outfit: gloves, jacket, and all. Rolling her eyes impatiently, she turned to the door.

"Expecting Rose? Sorry to disappoint you _lover boy_, but I'm just here to tell you we're opening presents now, and then going to have a snowball fight. It's Christmas Day, remember?" Groaning again, I got up out of bed and Lily went out. Rubbing my eyes, I froze, looking out the crack in the closed door. Wait, what did she say?

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

Turning my head as I heard the sound of footsteps, I saw with a twinge of disappointment that it was only my younger cousin descending the staircase in a very Lily-ish sort of outfit. It was warm, yes, but Albus would probably still be itching to get her into something else the whole day. Something more nun-like.

"Hey Lil," I said, greeting her. Lily smiled tightly at me at me, grabbing a mug of hot cocoa from the counter and leaning against it, looking over at the tree thoughtfully.

"What's up?" I asked, frowning at her strained expression. She didn't reply, so I continued knowingly: "Lorcan?" A half-smile flitted across Lily's face for a moment, her expression amused as she turned to me.

"It's funny how that's always it, but no, not this time." My eyebrows furrowed.

"What, then?" I could've sworn Lily rolled her eyes as me.

"_You and Scorpius_." She said, emphasizing the sentence. My eyes widened.

"I have no idea what you're referring to." I said stiffly, taking a nervous sip of my hot chocolate. I heard a snort from the kitchen, and Lily pushed off the counter and walked closer.

"Remember when we used to tell each other everything?" She asked, scowling at me. I avoided her eyes. Lily sighed. "Not that you needed to tell me anything. I should've seen it earlier, but I know it now. You know you can't hide it from me at least, don't you Rose?" I looked up at my small cousin. Her brown eyes seemed to look straight through mine. I sighed.

"I know."

"You know you're gonna have to tell them at some point."

"I know that too."

"Then why the secrecy?" She asked, but before I could answer Albus walked into the room, then stopped, looking from Lily to me. His eyes narrowed as he saw Lily's outfit. Lily, seeing this, smirked and got up, swinging her hips as she walked over to sit directly beside the tree. Albus' green eyes looked ready to pop out of his head, but he simply growled under his breath and went to sit down next to me. I patted him on the head sympathetically and he glared at me. Holding my mug up, I gestured towards the kitchen.

"Maybe some hot chocolate would calm you down, Al." His eyes immediately brightened.

-A+R+S-

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

I walked into the living room to see everyone already there but Lorcan, who was behind me. As I entered, Rose stood up sharply and gave me a look that I associated with the dreaded words, "We need to talk". I nodded and as we left, I felt Albus' eyes on me. When we were out of earshot, we both turned to each other and said at the same time:

"Lily knows." Then our eyes widened and we pointed at each other accusingly.

"You told?!" We accused each other. Rose crossed her arms and huffed.

"No, I didn't. Not really."

"Well I didn't either." I said. We rolled our eyes.

"Should've known. Lily always knows."

-A+R+S-

*Albus P.O.V.*

I frowned as Rose whisked Scorpius away out of the room as soon as he entered it. Lorcan was just behind him, and he furrowed his brow at the two, but Lily didn't look surprised. Rose and Scorpius were back in a few minutes, looking like nothing had ever happened. Those two were so weird sometimes. I would have to ask Lily about it later. After all, Lily Potter knows everything.

-A+R+S-

*Lily P.O.V.*

I pulled a small package towards me, laughing as Albus blew his party noisemaker he had found in his stocking in Rose's ear, making her clutch her ears desperately. Looking at the box curiously, I twiddled with the ribbon.

"Open it." Lorcan reached over, pushing it closer to me. I looked at him questioningly, then back to the small white box. Hesitantly I untied the ribbon and opened the box. Gasping, I lifted a small gold charm necklace from the box. Rose looked over and scooted closer to me together we looked at it. It had two circular charms on it, one with my first name on it, the next with my birthdate: May 5th, 2001. Flipping the hair that had fallen over my eyes over my shoulder, I looked up at Lorcan.

"Is this...from you?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yep," he said, ruffling his hair up absentmindedly. "I saw you looking at it in Hogsmeade one time when we were there together with Hugo and some of your friends, so I thought: why not?" I stared at him. I remembered it. Hugo had been laughing at me for being such a girl, but I didn't remember Lorcan saying anything.

"I remember that." I whispered. "Thank you." I said a little louder. He nodded, and we both fell into a rather awkward silence until Mr. Malfoy came into the room. As he exclaimed, I saw from the corner of my eye Scorpius whispering something in Rose's ear. She smiled and blushed slightly, nodding. I grinned. I loved the thought of my cousin and Scorpius together. Looking up over at Mr. Malfoy, I saw him looking over at his son and Rose as well. When he looked away, I saw a slight amused smirk on his face. He caught my eye and I smiled as well.

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

"So what's my present?" I said, smiling at Scorpius as he entered the room. He came up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. Leaning down, he kissed me lightly.

"That." he smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"But really." I asked. He smiled and reached into his pocket, taking out a charm bracelet. He slid it onto my wrist. I looked down and smiled. It had a few charms on it, one was a heart, one an owl, and one circular with writing on it. Looking closer, I made out the words "lovers quarrel". I laughed and kissed him.

"I love you." He smiled and kissed me again, deeper. We fell back onto my bed, and I crawled onto him, kissing him deeper. He kissed me hungrily. My lips moved down to his neck. My breathing got faster. Fear took over. What was going on, I wasn't supposed to be scared of Scorp. I wasn't scared of him. He seemed to sense this.

"Rose." He muttered and I moved back to his mouth. "Rose!" He said, sharper this time between kisses. I kissed him, but the kisses were getting shorter, and Scorpius pulled away to look at me steadily.

"Rose, are you okay?" He asked, looking at me.

"I'm fine." I said, but my bottom lip trembled. His eyes softened and he pulled me to his chest, hugging me.

"No you're not, you're shaking." He said, holding me tighter. I relaxed at his warmth, and he kissed my hair. "I would never force you into anything Rose. I would never do anything to hurt you."

-A+R+S-

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

"1...0!" We all screamed. I grinned as the fireworks went off in the distance. We watched as the colors spewed into the sky from the roof of The Malfoy Manor. Turning to Rose, I hugged her to my chest.

"It's 2017!" I exclaimed, and she giggled, pulling away. Speaking quietly, I said: "Just another year I want to spend with you."

Rose blushed, and, looking around to see if anyone was watching, kissed me quickly. When she pulled back, she said: "This'll be our year." I nodded. Turning back to the rest of our crowd, I hugged my mum. Looking around, I saw everyone was smiling. Lily and Lorcan were talking amicably and I saw that Lily was wearing her necklace. I grinned. This was the best winter break ever. I finally got Rose, and I got to bring my friends home. What could be better?


	13. Good and Bad Luck

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I loved writing this, it's very long, as well, so you should be happy! Just warning you, shit goes down in this chapter! Ahaha it's not bad...well, depends on who you are. But anyways, it's not like characters fight or anything it's just...okay just read the chapter I'm done talking.**

**Chapter 13:**** Good and Bad Luck**

*Rose P.O.V*

It was January 3rd when we went back to Hogwarts. We were all sad to leave the Malfoy Manor and I was going to miss Scorpius' parents. Astoria and I had especially formed a bond. It was weird how much you could hear about someone and then when you met them it was all tossed aside. Speaking of...

"Hey Teddy!" I called across the platform at my cousin-in-law, who had his normal brown hair donned, but with slight turquoise tips. He spun around at the sound of my voice, and an easy smile appeared on his face. Teddy was usually the one to bring the student members of the family to the station after Christmas, since the parents only came at the beginning of the school year and to pick us up. Smirking, I ran up to him. "You owe me five galleons, _cousin."_ I sassed him. He swore good naturedly.

"Malfoy Manor treat you well, Rosie?" He asked as he dug his hands into his pockets searching for the gold.

"Great, actually. Draco and Astoria were really nice." I said. He slapped five galleons in my waiting hand and I winked at him, pocketing them. He hugged me.

"That's great, Rosie." He said after he let me go. I looked around.

"Where's Vic?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Trying to shake off her mum about baby names. We want to name her Gabrielle, but her mum thinks it's bad luck, naming her after someone in the family."

"Why does she think that?" I asked, slightly amused. Teddy snorted.

"_Who knows."_ He muttered. I laughed and patted him on the arm sympathetically.

"Hang in there, buddy." I giggled. He pouted then smiled, pointing to the rapidly filling train.

"Better go, it's going to leave soon." Teddy said. I nodded and reached up to hug him once again, then ran towards the train, dragging my trunk along and leaping up unto the steps of the train. Immediately looking around, I spotted the compartment Al, Scorp, and I always sat in. Right now, Scorpius occupied it, and Albus was nowhere to be seen. Sliding open the door, I smiled at Scorpius as his head snapped up from the book he was reading. I smiled over my shoulder at him as I put my trunk up, then sat next to him, leaning over to see the book.

"Hello, love." Scorpius greeted me, smiling.

"Whatcha reading?" I asked cheerfully. He smiled and closed the book.

"Studying actually. NEWTs coming up and all." he said, putting his arm around me. I groaned.

"I forgot about that. We're going to have to work harder, aren't we?" I whined. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my temple over my hair. I didn't try to hide the giddy smile on my face. I turned to look up at him and we smiled warmly at each other until we heard a collision with the door. Eyes widening, I scooted away from Scorpius into the seat across from him as Albus dragged his heavy trunk backwards—luckily—into the compartment. After he had hoisted his bag up he turned and sat down next to Scorp.

"Hey." he said, reaching into his pocket absentmindedly.

"Hey. Where were you just now?" I asked him as the train started to move. He grinned, pulling a bar of chocolate out of his pocket, and holding it up to show us.

"The trolley lady is right friendly, you know that?" Albus grinned. Scorp and I rolled our eyes in unison.

"You couldn't have waited until she came past our compartment?" I asked exasperatedly.

"Nope." Albus said cheerfully, popping a piece of the chocolate in his mouth. Rolling my eyes once more, I reached into my bag to grab my latest book, smirking at Scorpius who rolled his eyes and turned back to studying as I began The Age of Miracles by a muggle author, Karen Thompson Walker.

-A+R+S-

I grinned as Scorpius scooted closer to me. I was leaning against the wall closest to the door, with my legs resting over him. Albus, who had been bothered by the fact Scorpius and I were both reading, had left to hang out with someone else sometime in the beginning of the trip. I was immersed in the book, but Scorpius had set his down and was now playing with my shoelaces on my converse, and I couldn't concentrate, so I marked the page and held it closed against my chest. He grinned at me.

"I like your shoelaces." he said. I giggled.

"Thanks, I stole them from the president." I said. Scorpius gave me a confused face. I laughed. "Nothing."

He smiled and scooted even closer to me so I was practically in his lap. Leaning forward, he whispered to me: "You're queer, Rose Jean Weasley." I smiled fondly at him, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips.

"And yet you love me nonetheless."

"Oh, well, that could be debated." He teased me. I laughed, winking at him. The sky was dark outside, and we hadn't bothered to turn our compartment light on, so no one could see us. Leaning forward, we grinned at each other, but as our lips were about to meet, someone hit the compartment door loudly. Groaning, we turned back to look outside to find Hugo smirking through at us. Opening the door, he leaned on the doorframe, smiling cheekily at us.

"Just came to make sure you weren't having too much fun." My brother said, winking. I glared at him profusely.

"I swear to God, Hugo, if you tell Albus—" I said fiercely. Hugo rolled his eyes.

"I'm not stupid, you know. I was told to tell you that the train is stopping in a few minutes. See ya around." With that he disappeared back the way he came, letting the glass door slide close after him. Shaking my head, I looked after him.

"Sometimes I worry about him." I said exasperatedly. Scorpius laughed.

"We're kind of becoming old news with your family, aren't we?" He said, playfully tugging my hair. I smiled at him.

"Oh well." I said, leaning in for another kiss.

-A+R+S-

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

I laughed as I dragged Rose off the platform, both of us laughing as we ran from Albus, carrying our heavy trunks in our hands. Our friend was swearing at us, yards behind us, as we slipped into the first carriage, and it started to move away without him. Rose leaned out the window and blew a kiss at Albus, and we both laughed as we heard a series of profanities in the distance. As she leaned back in, she started laughing loudly, clutching her stomach.

"I can't believe we just did that!" She giggled breathlessly. Grinning, I kissed her swiftly.

"I can." I smiled. She laughed louder, standing up and reaching around on the roof to open the overhead. Peeking her head out, she yelled to the dark grounds:

"Young and wild and free!"

I doubled over laughing as I heard the answering shouts of delight from the rest of the school. In the distance, Hugo whooped. Grinning, Rose closed the top and sat back down. Looking over to me, she cupped my face in her hands.

"We better make the rest of this year unforgettable." She said, smiling, and pressed a kiss to my lips.

-A+R+S-

**January 10th, 2:47 P.M.**

*Albus P.O.V.*

Today was the first game after the break, and the whole team was pumped. Our last one was against Hufflepuff, and we had beaten them easily. This one was against Ravenclaw, which would be a bit more tricky, but it wasn't Slytherin. Scorpius and Rose were still acting weird. At this moment, they were laughing in the corner quietly as Rose laced up her boots. Rolling my eyes, I looked around for someone to talk to. I caught Maddie's eyes, and she smirked mischievously, flicking her eyes to Scorpius and Rose purposely and making kissy faces. I shook my head, looking slightly disgusted. She just smirked at me, giving me a look, then leaning to hear something Lily Luna whispered to her. Maddie nodded and giggled, turning her head to Scorpius and Rose.

"So, are you guys in love or something?" Madeline asked them innocently. Rose turned to stare at her, and she smirked in a way that I knew she had copied from Lorcan. "What? Lily told me that you were!" Rose turned her glare to Lily, who lifted her hands up in surrender but laughed all the while.

"You would _think_ that Lily and Lorcan were your parents," Rose growled, looking at my sister pointedly. Lily wrinkled up her face and gagged while Lorcan raised his eyebrows at her. Maddie just smiled innocently at them, and Scorpius rolled his eyes, moving away from Rose to stand in front of the whole team.

"So when you're quite done, we should go out." He said, looking around at his friends. We grinned back at him innocently. He shook head exasperatedly. "Okay, huddle up. On three, kick some Ravenclaw butt!"

"Three, two, one. KICK SOME RAVENCLAW ASS!" We all screamed. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Hey, we have a child among us!" he exclaimed. Maddie's eyes flared.

"I am NOT a child!" she exclaimed. Scorpius ruffled up her hair affectionately.

"I know you're not, Mads." He said. She huffed, and grabbed her broom. We followed suit, mounting them and flying out onto the pitch, greeting the sound of deafening screams. The Ravenclaw's were already out, smirking at us from their side. _Cocky bastards, thinking they're going to beat us. _This was going to be a long game.

I barely heard the whistle, but when I did I was broken out of my thoughts. Snapping my head around just in time to see the Quaffle thrown into the air, I sped after it, grabbing it before the other team could. Flying in the direction of the goal whoops that were defended by the Ravenclaw Keeper, I searched for Lina or Scorpius. Spotting Joline to my left, I threw the Quaffle to her. Just nearly missing it, she put it securely under her arm, speeding towards the goal whoops then stopping to pass it to Scorpius who was on my other side. He caught it, passed it back to me, and I faked to the left and scored it into the middle goal.

The Gryffindor side of the stands broke into cheers, and I grinned over to them, catching Gracie's eye and smiling at her. She blew me an over-exaggerated kiss, and I caught it and pretended to stuff it into my pocket. I saw her giggling and I stared at her for a second before I heard the sound of a Bludger whooshing past, and I dodged it. Lily flew past me with her bat, and didn't neglect to give me a knowing look as she hit the Bludger away. I blushed and looked around for the Quaffle.

Spotting Scorpius, I sped towards him, trying to show him that he could pass it to me. He didn't spot me, though, and passed it to Lina, who missed it. I frowned. She wasn't usually distracted. A Ravenclaw Chaser caught it from below and sped towards Maddie, raising her arm to shoot, then was hit in the side by a bludger by Lorcan. Her shot was slightly off, and Maddie caught it easily, throwing it to Lina. Lina gave Scorpius an apologetic look, and sped off with the Quaffle, shooting it into the left hoop and scoring. She fell back into a defensive position as the Ravenclaw Team Captain caught the Quaffle and passed it perfectly to another Chaser, yelling at their Keeper.

As the Captain flew away from his Keeper, cursing, her caught the Quaffle as it was passed to him. He was a big, lumbering bloke named Blake Morrison, and his face was pulled back in a nasty sneer. Lily shot a bludger at him, and he dodged it, his Beater hitting it back at her fiercely forcing her to duck her head sharply. The girl Chaser on the Ravenclaw team signaled that she was open, but he didn't pass it to her, rather threw it hard into the middle goal inches away from Maddie's open hands. The Ravenclaw stands cheered and the Gryffindor ones booed loudly. Maddie sent me an apologetic look as she tossed me the Quaffle, and it started again.

-A+R+S-

**4:30 P.M.**

*Lina P.O.V*

"WE WON!" Albus screamed hoarsely in the middle of the group. Gryffindor supporters streamed onto the pitch, cheering. Shaking my head, I looked down, working my way out of the crowd. The Ravenclaw team were trailing out of the pitch, heads down.

"Stuart!" I heard my last name behind me from Blake Morrison, the team Captain. I didn't turn my head, but I knew he was smirking. "Nice performance out there, Stuart. Would've made the Chudley Cannons proud. I hope that's where you're heading after here, because no other team will take you!" He yelled after me. I snorted. Big lumbering idiot, Morrison was. Still, he had a point. I had fumbled at least three passes, missed one, and although I hadn't actually passed the Quaffle to the wrong team, I had nearly done it.

What was wrong with me? Christmas had been wonderful, of course, but I felt down now. Maybe it was just thoughts of James that had distracted me. I mentally hit myself. I was only seventeen years old, already totally in love with some guy. But then again, he wasn't just _some guy_, he was THE guy.

Running up a few staircases, I felt out of breath when I reached the common room. Only a few people were milling around there, which included people who hadn't went to congratulate us after the game or hadn't gone at all. A few heads turned, along with Lorcan's second year brother, Lysander. He ran up to me, hugging me.

"Good job!" he exclaimed, letting me go and smiling excitedly. I managed a half-hearted smile at the small boy.

"Thanks, Lysander, but I wasn't nearly as good as other people out there today." I said. Lysander tilted his head to the side, considering it for a moment. Then he shrugged.

"Well, _I _thought you were." he said brightly. I smiled more this time.

"That means a lot, thanks Ly." I said, ruffling his hair. He grinned, his smile somewhat reminiscent to Lorcan's smirk, but sweeter than his brother's. He scurried back to his friends, and I went up the girl's staircase. As I reached our bedroom, I opened the door and shrugged off my Quidditch robes into the laundry basket, grabbing clean clothes and going over to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door after me. Turning on the shower, I looked at myself in the mirror, my pale, oval face. My green eyes looked more gray today, just like they always did when I was down.

Shaking myself out of my trance, I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower. Wincing, I turned the heat down so it was luke-warm. I soaped myself, not bothering to condition my hair—it never frizzed anyway—and rinsed. It felt calming, doing this routine. No matter what was wrong with me right now, I would get over it. Maybe I was just PMSing or something. I think my period was in a few days. Yes, that must be it.

I got out and changed into the comfortable pajamas I had brought into the bathroom: a sports bra, a crew neck gray sweater, and pink and gray plaid bottoms. Stepping out of the bathroom, I went over to my trunk, looking for a book to read. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder from behind. I turned around quickly, and sighed in relief when I realized it was just Rose.

"Hey," I said quietly. She had changed out of her Quidditch robes into a pair of clothes that were obviously for the party now going on downstairs. I smiled weakly at her.

"Hey," She replied, studying me. "Aren't you going down to the party?" I shook my head.

"I don't really feel like celebrating at the moment." I said. She nodded.

"Are you okay? In the game you were sort of—"

"A complete fuck-up?" I finished sharply. She sighed.

"I was actually going to say _distracted._ Are you okay?" She said. I sighed.

"I don't know. I don't _feel_ okay, but there's nothing _really_ wrong. Maybe I'm just missing James." I said. Rose smiled at me encouragingly.

"Maybe. Let's just hope you feel better soon, boo." She tugged affectionately on my wet hair, and made to go downstairs. Then she looked back. "Oh, and if you're looking for a book, you can borrow the one I just finished. By the way, though, it has a sad ending." She said, tossing me a book from her bedside table. I looked at the cover and shrugged as she closed the door behind her. I had never been too sad over books before.

-A+R+S-

**5 hours later:**

_We were here._ I finished the book and dropped it down on my lap with a thump, staring into the distance for a moment then bursting out into tears. I sobbed randomly into my hands, thinking sadly of the book. Rose was right, it was definitely a sad ending. Looking back to the cover after my sobs subsided, I traced the dots mesmerizingly. Bored since the party wasn't ending for at least another two hours, I swung myself out of bed, and placed the book back on Rose's table. Curiously, I looked over to my calendar. Coming closer, I saw it was the 10th of January, but that was not what I was interested in. I looked for the little red dot I always put in the corner of the date I was supposed to get my period on. My mouth dropped open when I saw that it was marked for seven days ago, the day we came back to school. I missed it.

With a sense of dread, I walked into the bathroom. Looking on the shelf, I reached up to take a plastic stick from the ledge where Abby always kept them, just in case. Holding it in my hand, I walked over to the toilet and peed on the tip. Shaking now, I closed my eyes until I heard the beep. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the test. Gasping, I put my hand over my mouth. My legs gave out from under me and I sank onto the floor, rocking back and forth. _I was pregnant._

-A+R+S-

**January 11th, 10:00 A.M.**

*Rose P.O.V.*

I twitched impatiently in my chair as Lina looked into the tea cup. Frowning, she turned it. Then she rolled her eyes and set it down with a clatter. "Well, I can't see anything but black guck, so let's hope that means something good, right Rose?" She said, attempting a smirk but making it look more like a grimace. I laughed slightly, picking up her cup and squinting into it.

"Well, if a lot of black stuff is a good sign, you've got some pretty good luck, as well!" I grinned. Lina smiled tightly.

"I guess we've both got good luck, then!" she said finally. I laughed, and right then Professor Trelawney turned her head and looked at us, approaching our table. _Probably not anymore._ I thought ruefully as she took Lina's cup in her spindly hands. Lina sighed as well as the Professor spinned the cup so it was upside down from when I had looked at it. She gasped slightly, looking down at Lina through her largely magnifying eyeglasses.

"My dear, you have very unfortunate luck and your life may lead you in quite confusing directions." she said dramatically. Usually Lina would just nod numbly and go back to her work. This time however, she full out snorted and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Don't I know." she said scornfully, pushing her way past the senile old professor and out the door. I took one look to the back of the class where Scorpius and Albus were sitting, as confused and I, and shrugged at them. Shaking my head in confusion, I got my bag and slipped out of the classroom after my friend. I had to walk down three sets of staircases to find Lina, and I found her sitting against the wall in an empty classroom. As I hit my hand on the door, knocking softly, her head turned to see me. She sighed.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey Lina." I sat down next to her, resting my bag down next to me. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before she broke it.

"I'm pregnant." She said it bluntly. I was silent for a few second, trying to let the information sink in. Then I turned and hugged her. Her body tensed for a minute, then relaxed as she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I didn't hear her sob or anything, but I felt a tear hit my skin and trickle down my back. I hugged her tighter and then pulled back, holding her shoulders.

"It's gonna be okay, okay?" I said firmly. She nodded and wiped away her tears, and her lip trembled. I continued on. "You've got me, you've got James, and you've got all the rest of us and it's going to be fine no matter what decision you make." I hesitated slightly, but then asked, "Do you think you want to keep it?"

She nodded, and I smiled and wiped away the tears from under her eyes. "Have you told James yet?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Not yet."

"Well then I think that's what you should do then. But in person. How about next Hogsmeade weekend?" I asked. She nodded again, but she seemed more cheerful that she had before.

"Okay." She said, and her voice was strong. I smiled, and pulled her into a hug again.

"Remind me to kick James when I see him next." I said, and she grinned, her cheeks turning red.


	14. Lucky

**Author's Note: This chapter is mostly about Lina being pregnant, too, so just letting you know. I almost didn't get it done. Enjoy, and see you next week!**

**Chapter 14:**** Lucky**

**January 31th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

"Are you sure that—"

"Just write it, Lina. Not that hard."

"But what if—"

"WRITE. WORDS. PARCHMENT. INK. NOT HARD."

"Fine then." Lina huffed, finally putting her quill to her parchment and scrawling a few lines to James. I rolled my eyes as she finished with a flourish and blew on the parchment to dry the writing.

"There, not so hard, was it?" I said a patronizing tone. Lina gave me a glare that silenced me.

"Pipe down." she growled. I sighed and reached over to fold her paper, stuffing into the enveloped I had ready and attaching it to Aurora's waiting leg. I let her out the window, and seated myself in my armchair once again.

"Are you going to tell the rest of them now or later? They're going to notice eventually." I asked Lina. She looked down, sighing.

"Soon, once I've told James, I guess. But I might have to tell Scorpius before then, because I have to quit the team within notice."

"You're quitting the team?" I asked loudly, and she shushed me.

"I have to, don't I? I mean, think about it. It's already dangerous enough to have a kid at this age, but playing Quidditch as well?" She trailed off, looking down at her stomach darkly. I sighed.

"I guess you're right. But it can wait until you've told James. I don't think Scorp will mind." I said. Lina's face broke into an evil smirk.

"Well I suppose you would know best." She said slyly. I looked at her, surprised.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. She smirked knowingly.

"Oh, come on. You and Scorp." She nudged me. I craned my neck to look out the window, my cheeks slightly warm.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're on about."

"Fine, don't tell me. But when it happens, I'll be there to say I told you so." She hummed annoyingly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, no."

"Uh huh." She hummed.

"Shut up."

"Yeah yeah yeah, don't beat up on me, I'm pregnant."

"Still as annoying as ever, though, it seems."

"You're biased."

"How am I biased?"

"I don't know, but you are. Plenty of people think I'm completely wonderful."

"Yeah, because plenty of people knocked you up."

"Rude."

-A+R+S-

*James P.O.V*

_Hey James,_

_ I haven't seen you since Christmas! How about we meet in Hogsmeade on February 14th. Yes, I know it's Valentines day but it's the next available visit, sooo... see you there. Owl me._

_Lina_

I frowned at the short letter. In her sixth year we had swamped each other with pages of details, and then there was this short meeting request...odd. And the lack of 'love'. She was probably just bothered with the amount of homework given by the teachers for the N.E.W.T.'s. I remembered that year far too well. Shaking my doubts away, I pulled a spare piece of parchment towards me to write a reply. Satisfied, I folded it up and re-attached it to Rose's owl's leg, letting her back out the window. Sitting back down, I slumped tiredly.

Valentines Day...two weeks from now. Another _two weeks_ of waiting to see Lina. Well, it could be worse. We hadn't ended on the best note after Christmas. She had been angry about the fact that we never saw each other, and had just stormed out when it was time for her to go back to Hogwarts, without a word to me. Maybe we could make up. But in the meantime...

"Fred!" I yelled over to the guest bedroom where my hungover best friend and cousin was sleeping off the side-effects of his trip to a pub last night. I heard a muffled moan from his bedroom, and rolled my eyes, getting up from my couch and making my way over to his bedroom. He was laying where I left him last night after I picked him up on the request of Dominique, who had witnessed him leaving and knew it was not good. Fred's face was buried into his pillow, and he was wearing only boxers. I sighed and yanked the blanket he was laying on off the bed, causing him to fall off the bed and hit his head on the wall, groaning and his eyes still closed. Losing my patience with him, I pulled out my wand and cast 'aguamenti", pouring a jet of freezing cold water on him.

Finally waking up fully, he glared up at me with bleary brown eyes. "What the hell was that for?" he growled, standing up and looking down at me slightly from his three inches taller than me. I wasn't intimidated, and I raised my eyebrows.

"You need to wake up and clean yourself up." I said sharply to my cousin. He glared at me.

"It's Saturday. I don't have to get up if I don't want to." he growled bad naturedly. I rolled my eyes, throwing him a towel.

"Actually, you do need to. It's my appartment you're crashing in, so," I tossed him a towel that was hanging on the door. "shower and then come down to the living room. I need to talk to you."

My cousin snorted, catching the towel and going into the bathroom. "Bloody Potters." I heard him muttered. I smiled a bit at that, then sighed. Fred hadn't been the same since Hogwarts. He was enjoying going to training for Auror's, of course, but he didn't know what else to do with himself. In school, he had had a few girlfriends, but now out of it he hadn't looked a girl and wanted to get to know her seriously since. He "solved" this problem by going to pubs and drinking his sorrows. I lost count of how many times I had gone over to his flat wanting to hang out and finding that he had an one-night stand there. He wasn't himself.

Sighing, I walked back into the living, waiting for Fred to come back down. Going over to the kitchen, I took out a bowl and cereal. When I was eating, I spotted something on the counter across from me. Confused, I moved closer, and I saw what it was. Lina had probably left it here. It was her leather covered photo album. I had never looked in it before, but I was tempted. Opening to the first page, the first thing I saw was a still picture that was clearly of a younger version of herself sitting on the lap of a man who was most likely her father. Her small arms were around his neck and they both smiled brightly at the camera. I flipped through the pictures. About a third of the way through, the pictures started becoming more and more of moving pictures, rather than muggle ones. A picture caught my eye, it was of Lina and Rose, but first year versions of themselves, laughing at the camera as they stood shivering beside the Great Lake in their bathing suits, soaking. I smiled and continued flipping.

I was about to flip by a page, then I flipped back when I saw a picture of myself next to Fred, smirking at the camera. My arm was around Fred's shoulder, and at that time he was the same height as me. It looked like it was taken at about my sixth year, Lina's fourth. Slowly taking it of it's plastic casing, I studied it closely. I remembered it being taken, but by Rose. Lina must have nicked it from her. Turning it around, I saw something written on the back. Smiling, I read the words it said in Lina's slender handwriting:_ The two living menaces of Hogwarts._

I laughed out loud. This must have been before we started dating. At the sound of a cleared throat in the background, I turned to see Fred looking at me. Raising my eyebrows, I said: "Sorted out your problems with me already?"

He looked down and mumbled something. Rolling my eyes, I held up the photograph. "You remember this?" Fred looked up, moving closer, studying the picture. Then he laughed.

"I do, actually. Rose sidetracked us in the hallway and demanded to take a picture to us. She didn't say why." He laughed. I smiled and showed him the back. He looked slightly amused by it, then his smile faded as he looked down at me. I cleared my throat and put the photo back. We stood in silence for a bit, looking at each other.

"I'm sorry." Fred said bluntly. I nodded slowly.

"I know you are." I said.

"That's it? 'I know you are'?" He snorted impatiently. Standing up straight, I looked straight at him.

"You've changed. You don't act like my old best friend from Hogwarts."

For a moment something close to hurt flashed in Fred's eyes, but it disappeared into coldness. "Well, I guess real life just caught up to me." he said coldly. I narrowed my eyes.

"What does 'real life' supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means that I'm a 20 year old guy who has never had a serious relationship and probably never will while all his friends are ready to get married and all that shit." He said loudly, grabbing the cereal and pouring some for himself. I groaned.

"And you solve that by having a bunch of one-night stands?" I asked. He shrugged. Going over to him, I put a hand on his broad shoulder.

"Fred, man, you can do whatever you want to do. Me and Lina are going fast. We're in love. You still have time." I stepped back. "Either way, you have to sort yourself out. You're gonna give our little cousins bad ideas, and everyone's worried. Stop trying to punish yourself for things that were meant to happen." He looked up at that.

"You don't mean Roxy?" He said, narrowing his eyes with hostility.

"Honestly," I said, raising my eyebrows, "That is what I mean. You think you should have known, should have protected her or prepared her for the things that are going to come, but you know she's happy. She doesn't need you anymore."

He sighed. "I shouldn't have yelled at her for not telling me sooner."

"No, you shouldn't have. But it was a shock, and I think she knows you're sorry."

"Still." he said stubbornly. I laughed. He looked at me and frowned.

"Don't make me bring up the time Lina dumped you because you forgot her birthday James." he warned. I continued to laugh and hugged him.

"I've got my best friend back, then?" I asked, grinning. He rolled his eyes and nodded, returning to his cereal.

"Out of interest, how did you know I want to marry Lina?" I said curiously. Fred gave me an are-you-kidding-me look.

"Because you're a fucking girl, Potter." He said sarcastically.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, tackling him.

-A+R+S-

**February 14th**

*Lina P.O.V.*

I ran my hands through my hair nervously. Rose came up behind me in the mirror and looked at my outfit. "Gorgeous, as usual." She complimented me. I rolled my eyes, putting my hands to the hem of my shirt, pulling it up slightly to examine my stomach. I was convinced it was showing slightly.

Rose smiled and tugged it back down, turning me around. "You look great." She said truthfully, and I smiled, stepping back to examine her. She looked nice, too, like she was trying to impress someone.

"You too. Got a hot date?" I teased her. Her cheeks reddened slightly and I smirked knowingly. Seeing, she glared at me. "No, I don't! Let's go down." Rolling my eyes, I let her tug me down the staircase and out into the entrance hall. We separated, her obviously going to meet whoever she was meeting, and me leaving to meet James in The Three Broomsticks where we had agreed. I looked around the crowded pub, and my eyes fell on the corner booth where James was sitting, looking down at the table nervously. Walking closer, I called out to him.

"James!"

He looked up, and when his eyes landed on me, his whole face lit up. I smiled at the sight of him, and he ran towards me, picking me up and spinning me around. I laughed as he set me down, kissing him. When we broke away, I heard a nice old witch in the background muttering to her neighbor:

"Now that's love if I've ever seen it."

I grinned, tugging on his hand back to the booth in the back before it was taken. I sat down across from him and took his hand. He slid down across from me and smiled.

"So, why'd you want to meet me here?" He asked, smiling. My heart sunk. _Not yet._ I mentally pleaded him. _Can't I just normally talk to you first?_ I avoided his eyes.

"How about it was just about wanting to see you?" I asked feebly. He frowned.

"If it's about the fight before you left, I'm really sorry about—" he started to apologize, but I shook my head vigorously.

"No, that was my fault. I was just being overprotective. In a few months we'll have more time together." I said. He nodded, smiling.

"So what was it?" He prodded. My heart sank lower. I took a deep breath.

"I have something important to tell you." I said. His expression darkened.

"You're not breaking up with me, are you?" He asked. I shook my head, closing my eyes for a minute to gather my courage. When I opened them, I looked straight at him.

"James, I'm pregnant." I said bluntly. His eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"You are?" He asked, shocked. Ashamed, I looked down, nodding. I looked up when I felt a hand under my chin, forcing me to meet James' eyes. To my surprise, he was smiling widely. Leaning across to meet my lips, he kissed me passionately. When we broke away, he looked me straight in the eyes:

"I would never leave you; It's my fault more than it is yours. I love you, and I love that baby." He came around to sit on my bench, smiling down at me. I smiled weakly. Before I knew what was going on, he was down on one knee. My eyes widened and I covered my mouth with my hand in shock. He took it and grasped it between both of his, and began to speak again. Everyone in the pub's eyes were on us. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you to the end of the world and back, and I always knew that I wanted to end up with you from the moment I first saw you. I didn't even need to know you were having my baby to know I wanted to marry you, because I planned it before I came here. So," He pulled out a small black box from his pocket, and tears began to form in my eyes, but I wiped them away and met his brown ones. "Joline Margaret Stuart, will you marry me?" I smiled and let him slide the ring onto my finger, and threw my arms around him, pulling him upright. My face inches from his, I said the words he wanted to hear.

"Yes! Yes, a million times yes!" I exclaimed, kissing him forcefully. He pulled away, laughing, and spun me around again. We laughed together, and kissed again, wrapping our arms tightly around each other and not letting go. James finally pulled away, grinning at me.

"Let's go somewhere." he said.

"Where?"

"Anywhere." he said cheerfully. I laughed.

"Well, come on then!" I encouraged, and we walked towards the door. Looking back over my shoulder one last time, I saw the old woman who had exclaimed over us when I first arrived. I smiled at her, and she winked.

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

"Where are we _going_ Scorpius?" I laughed as my boyfriend tugged me along after him in the snow up the hill near the Shrieking Shack.

"You'll see." he said cheerfully. I laughed and walked faster until I was in step with him. We reached the top of the hill and looked down, but we only stopped there for a few seconds before he tugged me down the other side. Caught off guard, I stumbled into him. Surprised, he fell over, and, with me on top of him, we rolled unceremoniously down the other side of the hill. Winded, we stopped rolling at a flat part of the hill. I rolled off him and we lay on our backs looking up at the gray clouds, laughing. Scorpius smiled over at me.

"Well, that was the short cut, I guess." he said. Confused, I sat up, and gasped. We were in the middle of the hill, hidden from the village, looking out straight over the grounds and the castle and the Great Lake. "Like it?" Scorpius asked, grinning at me. I looked over at him, my mouth open.

"Why didn't you ever show this to me and Al?" I asked, indignant. He shrugged, smirking.

"Well, I'm showing it to you now, aren't I?" he said, and I rolled my eyes, hitting him in the arm before leaning against his chest, hugging his chest as we lay back against the snow.

"Cocky bastard." I muttered into his chest. He laughed and kissed the top of my head.

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

Looking around, I opened the door of my dormitory and crept back in, then closed it after me. Feeling triumphant that I got in without detection, I turned around to see the whole of my dorm room staring at me, my friends with crossed arms and smirks on their faces, and Amber and Riley looking disinterested. I stood awkwardly in the doorway, feeling _very very_ uncomfortable with all my friend's stares on me, smirks on their faces. Finally, I spoke up.

"What?" I exclaimed as they continued to smirk at me. They grinned.

"We were waiting up for you. Lina says she has to tell us all something. Judging by the amount of time you spent in Hogsmeade, you have something to tell us as well." Abby smirked. I groaned internally. There was no getting out of this.

"Fine, come on." I growled, rolling my eyes and gesturing them to my bed. We all sat down on it and drew the curtains, making sure to cast a silencing charm just in case Amber or Riley decided they wanted to listen in. Looking at Lina, I gestured her to start. She looked excited, but smiled mischievously and said:

"Actually, I want you to start, Rose."

"Well, um..." I said, wringing my hands.

"Start by saying who you were in Hogsmeade with for so long." Gracie prompted. I blushed and just said it.

"I was in Hogsmeade with Scorpius." I said. They all gasped, leaning closer. After a pause, I relented to their accusatory stares. "We've been a couple for a few months now." They burst into noise. Abby demanded to know why I didn't tell them while Gracie just smirked and Lina began to exclaim loudly and excitedly that she knew it all along. Looking over at Gracie, I raised my eyebrows. She just shrugged.

"I've known since Al and I walked in on you in the Astronomy tower. He didn't see you guys but I did." she said. I decided not to ask what she had been doing up there with him. Rolling my eyes at my friends' antics, I gestured for Lina to tell us. She took a deep breath.

"A few weeks ago I found out I was pregnant." She said. Gracie's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and Abby gasped. "I told James today and he asked me to marry him." She finished. I let out a squeal and Abby grabbed her hand which she had been hiding. There was a glittering diamond ring resting on it. I hugged her.

"I'm so happy for you, Lina."


	15. Face It

**Author's Note: Hey all! This chapter was less stressful to write because not as much goes on in it as the last two, so that's good! I just wanted to say thanks quickly to all my followers, I love you all, you're wonderful people! When I read your reviews it makes me all warm and fuzzy and I just start smiling like crazy and then my friends get really pissed at me because I'm just creepily smiling into space...but yeah. You're lovely people, stay beautiful! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 15:**** Face It**

**March 14th**

*Lina P.O.V.*

I rolled my eyes slightly at the magnitude of the party going on around us. It was Gracie's birthday, and Abby had pulled out all the stops on what she called "her best friend's last day of freedom before adulthood". I hadn't touched any food, since it was all probably fused with some type of alcohol. For instance, Gracie had swore she wouldn't drink a drop of alcohol tonight, and she hadn't...drunk it. But due to her loose demeanor and the fact that she was dancing rather inappropriately with Albus on the dance floor, the liquids were obviously not the only things that contained alcohol. Looking around, I found Abby talking to some boy, and pulled her away.

"Hey, what was that for preggy?" She said indignantly.

"How much of the food is spiked with alcohol?" I asked, pointing to Gracie. Abby looked over to her best friend, an evil grin on her face, then looked back at me.

"The only thing that's not spiked is the water."

I groaned, looking back at Gracie. "What if I had eaten something?"

"I figured you would know not to. Gracie's...a lot more _trusting_ of me than you are." She laughed, looking over to her. Sighing, she said: "Oh god, she's going to wake up in morning really pissed at me, isn't she?"

I nodded, smirking, as we watched Gracie and Albus dance. Albus could hold his alcohol slightly better than Gracie, but that wasn't saying much. They were both completely stoned. As we watched, Gracie turned around and kissed Al on the mouth. He kissed back eagerly, and they stood there in the middle of the dance floor just exchanging as much saliva as possible. Abby groaned, covering her eyes.

"Now that is something I never wanted to see." she whined. I looked away, feeling slightly disgusted, but nevertheless gave her a wry smile.

"And yet you saw it anyway." I said. She gave me a look, and went back over to the guy she was talking to before. Rolling my eyes, I looked over to Albus and Gracie, wondering if I should pull them apart or just let it play out. I decided that they could just sort out their own problems. They probably wouldn't even remember in the morning.

But I supposed I did owe them somewhat for keeping the secret of me being pregnant, so if Gracie asked I would have to tell her. Smiling a little, I remembered Albus' reaction to me being pregnant.

_ *Flashback*_

_ We laughed as we descended the staircase into the common room the day after Hogsmeade. "What's funny?" Albus said from the couch where he was laying, putting his work aside as he saw us. Rose grinned at him._

_ "We're just talking about baby names." She laughed, sitting next to her cousin. Albus looked slightly confused, and I rolled my eyes at Rose, pointing at her._

_ "She wants to name it Priscilla if it's a girl!" I laughed. Albus' eyes became as wide as saucers as he stared at his cousin._

_ "I never said that! I just said it would be funny if—"_

_ "YOU'RE PREGNANT?" Albus yelled at his cousin. She looked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing, holding her stomach. Albus didn't seem to find the funny part of this equation._

_ "Rose, I swear, whoever it was I'm going to—"_

_ "I'm not pregnant!" she laughed. He relaxed, then looked around._

_ "Why were you talking about that then?" Albus asked. I cleared my throat._

_ "Actually, Rose isn't the only one of us who is able to get pregnant, Al." I said, feeling slightly amused. His eyes flicked from Abby to Gracie to me, looking horrified. Rose, still laughing, pointed to me. Albus' eyes, if possible, stretched even wider. He fell off the couch, looking at me, horrified._

_ "Please tell me you're joking. _Please_ tell me you're joking." he begged me. I smiled and shook my head._

_ "Not joking." I said. Albus put his hand to his chest, looking absolutely horrified, collapsing onto his back._

_ "No no no this cannot be happening," he groaned. Sitting up, he pointed an accusing finger at me. "You're going to bring another James Potter II into the world. HOW COULD YOU?" he exclaimed dramatically. All of us but Al were laughing at that point._

_ "Quit being such a drama queen, Alby." Rose laughed at him. Albus took a deep breath and sat back down._

_ "I want to forget ALL ABOUT THIS!" he exclaimed childishly. We all giggled as he went back to his work, trying to ignore us._

_ *End of Flashback*_

Looking back to where Albus and Gracie were making out, I couldn't deny that they were absolutely perfect for each other. But they were still dead drunk. And when someone's in that state it's just hard to 'aww' at them.

-A+R+S-

*Gracie P.O.V.*

I was dancing in the party with someone on the dancefloor...rather weirdly. _What was in that food?_ I thought blearily. Turning around, I met my lips with theirs. It was definitely a boy, that was good, but _what_ boy? Shit shit shit. I was falling into the same trap I had with all the other parties. And _of course_, this was the same boy that I had made out with previously. I guess we both got smashed easily. But I didn't pull away. I didn't know why, but I was addicted to the lips of this boy. I could taste alcohol on his lips, and smell the musty smell of something like grass or pine needles on him. I mentally searched my mind as I kissed him. I _knew_ that smell. I knew it. But I was drunk.

I entwined my fingers into his hair, feeling the soft locks between my fingers. Feeling confident, I jumped and wrapped my short legs around his waist and he put a hand on my lower back, and guided us over to a chair where I was on his lap. We kissed each other fiercely, and there was something there that was a little weird, not something you would expect in a drunken snog. A weird intensity or some feeling...something strong. I pulled away and we looked at each other...and he was brought into focus. **Oh. Merlin.**

I was snogging Albus Potter.

-A+R+S-

** March 15th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

I rubbed my head tiredly as I sat up, looking at the time blearily. The party last night was crazy, to say the least, and I was glad Albus was dead drunk snogging Gracie, because otherwise he would have noticed Scorpius and I sneaking upstairs to make out in his dormitory about halfway through. I didn't drink anything, but I wished now that I hadn't eaten anything either. I had picked up a brownie, eaten it, then realized that it was spiked. I had a minor headache, not too bad, compared to what Gracie probably would have when she woke up. Speaking of Gracie, she was lying facedown on her bed, still wearing the clothes of last night. Albus had probably got her back to bed, because I remember them being the last two people in the common room. I had sneaked past them to get back to my dormitory.

"Ouch." Gracie said from behind me. I turned around to see her rubbing her head, squinting at me. "How long have I been out?" she asked. I went and sat down next to her.

"Well, you fell asleep in an armchair at about two in the morning, and it's about one in the afternoon now, so eleven hours." I said.

"Shit." she swore, which was unusual for her. I took a deep breath.

"Gracie, you know, you made out with—"  
"Albus, yeah." she said, cutting me off and sighing. I nodded.

"Was he the one you made out with all the other times, as well?" I asked. She nodded. "Did you find out tonight?" Again, she just nodded. Then she looked up, panic in her eyes.

"Do you think he knows?"

"I would guess so." I said.

"Shit." she said again, holding her head in her hands.

-A+R+S-

**March 16th**

*Albus P.O.V.*

"What do you mean she doesn't want me to bring it up?" I asked Rose, slightly miffed. She shrugged.

"Well, I talked to her, and that was the vibe I got. I think it was better off when she didn't know who she was making out with. Now she does and she has to face it." she said. I looked down. I was tired of this.

"So it's because it's me, then." I said coldly. Rose shook her head violently.

"No, Al, I'm sure it's not—" she started. Rolling my eyes, I pushed past her.

"Whatever."

"Come on Al, you know it's hard for her!" She screamed after me.

"That was years ago!" I yelled back, tears forming in my eyes. She wanted to forget. I should have known. This is why I didn't want her to find out. Because I was in love with her and I knew she would blow me off. Not in a mean way, but she just wasn't ready. And I so wished she was.

-A+R+S-

**March 27th, Easter**

*Roxanne P.O.V.*

I was so nervous. It was Easter and we were all at the Burrow. It was dinner time, and I was sitting between James, who had Lina on his other side, and Lily, who was squeezing my hand comfortingly. At the moment, Grandpa Weasley was making his usual long toast, but I wasn't really listening. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. I heard another tapping of a glass, and looked over to see James standing. Lina, next to him, looked almost as nervous as I felt. James cleared his throat.

"I have an announcement." he said, and the table went silent. James took a huge breath before speaking again. "Lina's going to have a baby." My head snapped around and my mouth fell open at that. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had big news. Lily looked slightly surprised, and the only ones at the table who didn't have their mouths hanging open like mine were her, Rose, Lina, James(obviously), and Albus. Albus didn't even seem to be paying that much attention. His fingers were busy shredding the paper napkin he had in his hands.

There was a bit of silence after that, then everyone broke into sound congratulating them, a little uncertainly at first, then with more vigor. Grandma was crying and saying "she always knew it would happen", and Aunt Ginny had walked over to right behind James and slapped him right over the head with her napkin, then walked back, telling him that "that was for not being careful like you should of". I smiled, happy for my cousin. After this, we began to eat, and I dug in, momentarily forgetting my troubles. That is, until Uncle Harry leaned across the table and said kindly to me:

"What about you, Roxanne, are you seeing anyone?"

"I should hope not!" exclaimed my dad, looking over at me. I gulped, not meeting his eyes.

"I am, actually." I said, straight to Uncle Harry. My mother snapped her head around, interested, and Ginny Potter started paying attention too.

"What's his name, dear? Do you think we would like him?" Aunt Ginny asked interestedly. I took a deep breath and said, feeling the earnest gaze of my brother on me:

"Her name's Emma and I think you would like her very much."


	16. Caught In The Act

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry guys! I've been having writers block for a long time and a lot of things have been going on lately...oh well. I have a few more days of winter break, and I thought I better get lots of writing done now or people will kill me later... This chapter isn't the best but it's the best I could do for now...sooooo looking forward to High School guys! Well, not the work or that stuff, but I'm looking forward to restarting and a lot of the people at the school I go to now are really bothering me. You know who you are. And my mom is in Vermont, and I don't really get along with my dad so that's just going swimmingly! Anyway, enough of my troubles, enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 16:**** Caught In The Act**

**April 9th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

The days grew longer and blurred into months. It had been two weeks since Roxanne had made her announcement and, well, people were surprised, to say the least. Uncle Fred sat with his mouth wide open for about a minute before getting up from the table and hugging his daughter. Then he stepped back and cheered:

"No boys!"

Roxanne had laughed, and we broke out into cheers. Aunt Angelina had looked slightly dumbfounded the whole time, but had congratulated her daughter nonetheless. Fred hugged his sister and whispered something in her ear that only them two could hear. Overall, it had been taken fairly well by the whole group. Old Mrs. Weasley had hugged her granddaughter warmly after her announcement. It had been agreed that Emma would come over to the Burrow sometime over the summer to meet "The Clan". I later identified her as Roxanne's shy, small, and dark haired best friend from her year. Roxanne had never brought her over to the house, so I hadn't known her name. Meeting her, though, was a pleasure, and it turned out she was outgoing around a small group of people. I definitely approved.

Also, Lina had officially resigned from the Quidditch team and had been replaced by brother, who's goal would no doubt be to drive me up the wall for the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, the work was loading on. NEWT year was a high stress and I had already witnessed a slight mental breakdown courtesy of Abigail due to the fact that her father had been expecting more and more from the class, and Abby always strived to go about twenty notches higher than her father expected of the class. She had broken down crying in the middle of defense class, running out, and leaving Mr. Finnigan looking guilty and declaring that we didn't have homework anymore.

Moreover, we were working as hard as possible...with some distractions now and then. The Room of Requirement was a frequent haunt of Scorp and I now. It wasn't very necessary, since all Albus did nowadays was brood in his dormitory in between study sessions. Scorpius told me that Albus had barely talked to him even, but he had gathered that Al was just upset by Gracie's attitude.

At this moment, Scorpius and I were sneaking around the seventh floor corridor, laughing softly as we dodged Professor Finnigan. He turned around once more to see where the sound was coming from, then sighed and gave up, shaking his head. Scorpius grabbed my hand, put a finger to his lips, smirking, and gestured to follow the Professor. We tiptoed after him, trying to conceal our giggles. As we reached the end of the corridor, we hid behind the corner, watching him. Scorpius, grinning, swished his wand, pointing it at the Professor and muttering a spell. I looked at him, puzzled, as he put his wand away, and he saw me watching and winked. I looked back at Professor Finnigan confusedly, then spotted something in the air slightly above him. It was some sort of haze, like a bubble maybe. Just as soon as I started to puzzle over it, it screwed itself up and made a loud, rude, farting sound right over the man's head. Next to me, Scorpius tried to contain his laughter as Mr. Finnigan turned around and looked at it with wide eyes. The bubble continued to made the fart sounds, and Scorpius was beside himself. A loud laugh escaped his mouth, and Finnigan whipped around in our direction. His eyes widening, Scorp clapped a hand over his mouth, and dragged me back away from the corner. We broke into a run away from him, and we heard him cursing behind. We reached a dead-end, and we looked at each other in panic.

"What do we do?" I asked breathlessly. Scorpius looked around, and just in time, he spotted a door in the wall near us. We wrenched it open and dived inside it, swinging it closed behind us and bolting it shut. Looking at each other while catching our breath, we began to laugh.

"That was close!" I laughed. Scorp nodded, laughing.

"He looked _pissed!_" He laughed. Once we were done chuckling, we looked around the room. What we saw wasn't something you saw everyday. The room was vast, but it was not empty in the least. The contents of it were in a disarray, and a black dust covered most of the floor. Shelves were toppled, objects lay in ashes, and a slight charred scent lay dormant in the air, as if it was from long, long, ago. We looked around, almost frightened, like the room was going to swallow us up.

Scorpius made his way over to somewhere in the stacks of things. Kneeling down, he studied the thing before him with an expression of distaste. My stomach turned as I saw what he was looking at. It was a skeleton. A skeleton wearing Slytherin robes. Getting back up on his feet, Scorpius looked the room over once more, then turned back to me.

"I think I know where we are." he said grimly.

-A+R+S-

*Albus P.O.V.*

_….and the properties of the Wolfsbane include..._

I groaned and hit my head on the book. It was late at night and I was supposed to be studying once again with Scorpius and Rose, but they had both made up some rubbish excuse of why they had to be somewhere else, so I was alone. I had been studying for over three hours, and I was sick of it. Curious, I put my hand in my pocket and drew out the Marauders Map, unfolding it and tapping it with my wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I said quietly. Quickly, the ink began to appear onto the map. I searched it swiftly, until I spotted the label "Scorpius Malfoy" on the 7th floor corridor. He was moving fast away from a dot labeled Seamus Finnigan. I squinted to see who he was with, because his name blocked the other's. Probably some girl. As Scorp moved slightly ahead of the other person, her name became legible. My mouth fell open._Rose._ Scorpius was with _Rose._ They ditched me _together. _Angrily, I slammed my book closed and went to fold up the map. Then something curious happened. When the two dots reached the wall, they disappeared. I thought for a minute, then I realized: they were in The Room of Requirement.

"Mischief managed." I muttered quickly, and folded up the map, stuffing it in my pocket. I knew they were up to something. I wanted to know what. Grabbing the invisibility cloak, I threw it over myself and pushed open the Fat Lady, sprinting up the staircase fast. When I reached the entrance to the room, I stopped. What was I to do now? Shaking my head, I began to pace the length of the wall, thinking the same thought:  
_I need a way to listen to Scorpius and Rose's conversation. I need a way to listen to Scorpius and Rose's conversation. I need a way to listen to Scorpius and Rose's conversation. _Opening my eyes after the third time, I saw that a small door had appeared. Smiling satisfactorily, I opened it and walked into what appeared to be a phone booth. Confused, I acted on my instinct, and picked up the phone, holding it to my ear. I flinched when I heard Rose's voice through the receiver.

"So you think this is The Room of Hidden Things?" Her voice sounded clear through the phone, but slightly far away.

"What else could it be? The dust, the ashes, the objects, that skeleton! I'd bet you anything that was Crabbe's body." Scorpius said. I felt a twinge of guilt on spying on them. Maybe it was innocent. Rose spoke again.

"Al would probably love to see this place." She said, and she sounded a little sad. I heard the rustle of robes, probably meaning that Scorpius moved closer to her.

"But there's a reason we didn't invite him along, remember?" Scorpius said, quieter, so I had to strain to hear. My ears perked up.

"Remind me." Rose's voice sounded teasing this time.

"Because," Scorpius said, and I could almost hear the smirk in his voice, "I couldn't do this while he was around, could I?"

My eyes widened as I strained my ears for Rose's reply. This couldn't be what I thought it was. She giggled after a moment.

"So this is your idea of a date, Malfoy? Dodging my friend's Professor father then finding a long lost battle scene that both of our fathers participated in?"

My shoulders tensed. Had I heard her right? I couldn't have.

"You know it." Scorpius said softly.

"_How romantic."_ she whispered seductively. Anger boiled up in me and I dropped the phone onto the ground, wrenching the door open. I could just hear Rose's confused voice in the background. "What was that?"

But I had heard enough. Rage was pounding into my veins as I walked fast back to the tower and shouted the password at an alarmed fat lady. I had taken off the cloak by now, and it was clenched in my fist. As I stormed into the room, a few heads turned, but only one that I knew. Gracie looked at me in concern as I walked in, and got up off the couch to greet me.

"What's up?" She said. I looked at her angrily.

"Why do you suddenly care?" I asked scornfully. She sighed.

"Look, Albus—" she started, but I cut her off.

"Scorpius and Rose are dating." I said angrily. Her eyes widened fearfully and she avoided my eyes. "You knew?" I asked angrily. She looked up at me pleadingly. "Did everyone know except for me?" I yelled. The whole common room was watching us by now. Gracie started to open her mouth, but right at that moment, the entrance swung open and Rose and Scorpius entered. I turned to face them, starting to walk over. Gracie tried to grab my arm.

"Albus..." she said warningly, but I ignored her. Scorpius walked up to me, grinning like nothing was wrong.

"Hey mate." he said cheerfully. I glared at him. Seeming to notice my look, he took a cautious step forward and put a hand on my shoulder. "Everything all right, mate?" he asked. Anger surged up in my veins, and before I knew what I was doing, my hand swung up to hit his face, hard. He stumbled backwards as Rose screamed. My breath came out hard, as I looked between them. Gracie grabbed my arm before it could swing again, and tried desperately to drag me backwards. Scorpius just stared at me, and I sent daggers his way.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF MY FRIEND!" I shouted at him. "HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF MY FRIEND WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH MY COUSIN AND NOT TELLING ME! HOW DARE YOU!" With that I yanked my arm out of Gracie's grip and stormed up the boys staircase, not bothering to glance back.


	17. Consequences

**Author's Note: So, I decided, spur of the moment, that Hugo's actor is going to now be that Mike character from Pretty Little Liars, Aria's little brother, right? Look him up. Anyways, thanks for all your guys support last week, I really appreciate it. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 17:**** Consequences**

**Still April 9th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

My mouth fell open as Albus stormed up to the boys dormitory after punching Scorpius. Based on Scorpius' similar expression, he was just as startled as I was. How had he known? The common room was completely silent—staring at either us or the boy's staircase—in shock. Albus Potter _never_ lost his temper. I looked around. Most of my family were in the corner, and most of them were staring at me. Roxanne, for example, looked completely stunned, but it was Hugo that spoke first.

"Is it true?" my brother asked incredulously. I looked over to him. His eyes were wide and they held some anger.

"Hugo," I said pleadingly.

"Forget it." My brother said angrily. "Of course it's true." He, too, stormed up to his dormitory. I sighed, looking after him, then turning back to my family.

"Are the rest of you all mad at me, too?" I asked exasperatedly. Silence. "Whatever." I huffed, turning around and brushing past Scorpius lightly on the way to my dormitory. "Come see me later." I whispered to him so that no one else could hear.

-A+R+S-

*Albus P.O.V.*

I was fuming, pacing around my dormitory. Rose and Scorpius. Scorpius and Rose. _A couple._ And they didn't tell me. I grabbed a picture frame from my bedside table and threw it to the ground, watching it smash, fuming. The glass dust spread out across the floor, reaching the toes of my sneakers. Looking down at it, my breath calmed. Pulling out my wand, I muttered under my breath "repairo" and the shards replaced themselves on the picture. Picking it up and replacing it on my table, I couldn't help but notice who it was of. Scorpius and Rose, standing side by side, their arms around each other. Scorpius was tugging on her hair playfully, while Rose pouted and shoved him. He pouted back and Rose laughed, kissing his cheek. He then put his arm around her and they smiled at the camera. They looked young, maybe fourth years. They looked happy.

I sighed, sitting down on my four poster, the picture frame still in my hands. Who would've known that three years from then they would be in a relationship? Not him, that was for certain. I knew that some of my Aunt's and Uncles had always entertained the idea, but I had always laughed at them. I remembered my mother shaking her head at me and simply saying:

"You wait and see."

At that time I had just rolled my eyes at her. Scorpius and Rose were close, yes, but they were just best friends. Nothing more, nothing less. To imagine anything else would be preposterous, Albus had thought.

At that moment, he felt ashamed of himself. He had overreacted, punched his best friend, and listened in on a conversation that he wasn't supposed to hear. And why, in the first place, had they not told him? Because they didn't trust him to not do what he had done. What did that say about him? He should have been happy for them, he knew it now. He just needed a bit of time to adjust.

-A+R+S-

*Lina P.O.V.*

"Shit." I muttered as I watched my best friend storm back to our dormitory. The rest of the Weasley family was still in stunned silence, so I took the opportunity to race up after her, before anyone could stop me. I pushed past Scorpius, who was still looking stunned, and Gracie, who was frozen in place, staring straight in front of her. I would talk to her later. Right now I needed to make sure Rose wasn't destroying everything within a ten foot radius of her. I ran into the dormitory and saw Rose standing in the middle of the room breathing heavily. Amber and Riley were looking at her scornfully from the other side of the room.

"What happened, Weasley? Did everyone finally dump your dumb ass? Or did your boyfriend find out you have herpes?" Amber said in her high voice. Riley giggled along cruelly. Rose took a step forward, a furious look on her face.

"You—" she started.

"Rose," I interrupted her. She turned her head to look at me, the anger still in her eyes.

"You come to yell at me as well?" she asked angrily.

"I already knew, remember?" I said weakly, stepping closer to my friend. She smiled a little half-heartedly, and closed the gap between us, wrapping her small arms around me tightly, hugging me. I squeezed her tightly, trying to give her some comfort. I could hear Amber and Riley turning away, snorting in contempt, but I didn't care. Rose still clinging to me, I moved us over to my four-poster bed, closed the curtains, and cast a silencing charm. Rose began to sob softly into my shoulder.

"I-I shouldn't have... I didn't know it was going to upset them so much... I'm such a bad person..." She sobbed. I patted her back.

"It can't have been that much of a surprise." I said softly. She pulled back, her eyes red.

"But I thought they would just be surprised, not mad!" Rose exclaimed.

"I don't think they were mad. Albus just has to have time to adjust, and so do the rest of them. I'm sure they'll be perfectly fine with it soon." I said truthfully.

"Some of them." Rose said darkly.

-A+R+S-

**April 10th**

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

I walked down to the Great Hall on the morning of the 10th, slightly nervous of what would be waiting for me down there. A pissed off Weasley/Potter family, most probably, and Albus ignoring me. That was why I was so surprised when Albus approached me just as I was about to sit down, regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius, mate." was the first thing that came out of his mouth. My eyes widened and I must have looked taken aback, because Albus looked down and added, "Yeah, I suppose that wasn't what you were expecting, but I really regret blowing up like that. If you and Rose are happy, I have no right to stand in the way."

"Thanks, mate." I said, slightly taken aback. Then Albus turned to Rose, a look of yearning on his face. She was leaning forward, listening to our conversation.

"Rose—" he started, but she waved it away.

"It's fine, I guess. But we're not shagging, we're dating."

I laughed at that, and Albus had a relieved look on my face. As both of us sat down, the morning mail began to come. Rose choked on her water when she say the red envelope that was dropped by her place. With baited breath, Albus and I watched her open it.

"ROSE JEAN WEASLEY!" her fathers voice bellowed out of the envelope suddenly. "HOW DARE YOU! I HAVE DEALT WITH YOUR FRIENDSHIP BUT THIS IS GOING TOO FAR! I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOL! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD EVER—" The letter was silenced as Rose began to rip it up in anger. The remainders began to burn slowly until they turned to ashes. Rose looked up at me, and we looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Then she lifted her head and looked at Albus. He saw her accusatory gaze and began to shake his head violently.

"Rose, I swear that I did not write to your father." he said desperately. She sighed and scanned the table. All eyes were on her as she stood up and put her hands on her hips, scanning every face.

"Alright, who the hell was it who wrote to my father?" She asked angrily. The table was silent, and then Hugo Weasley stood up and began to walk away, not bothering to look at Rose. Her eyes widened with anger.

"HUGO ARTHUR WEASLEY!" she yelled after him angrily. He didn't turn. "HUGO!" She yelled again furiously. He turned flicked her the bird, then turned back around and left the room defiantly.


	18. For Real

**Author's Note: So, guys, this is the long-awaited graduation. Feels a bit quick, but I really feel good about this chapter. So, enjoY!  
**

**Chapter 18:**** For Real**

**June 16th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

I straightened my dress nervously. Today was it, today was the day that I become no longer a student of Hogwarts, but a full-grown witch. Thankfully they didn't make us wear robes, but just formal muggle clothing. It was better that way. Things had settled down, I had written a strongly worded howler back to my father, telling him he had no way to control me since I was of age and that I would move out if he tried. Hugo was different. I had tried to talk to him many times, but he was avoiding me like the plague. It was near impossible to get him alone, but I knew I would be able to once I got home. NEWTs were easier than expected, and considering we all began to stress out and study a few weeks before the exams, we all did well. Albus had applied to be an Auror alongside Scorpius for the Ministry, and planned to begin training there in the summer, Gracie had been accepted at St. Mungos as a trainee Healer, and Abby had, as to the surprise of all, decided to take an internship in Ollivander's Wand Shop, where Mr. Ollivander, more than a hundred years old currently, worked with his middle aged son and young granddaughter. Lina and I hadn't decided formally what we wanted to do, so we had decided to work in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—which had become generally known as the family shop—for the time being.

As for Scorpius and I, we had become closer due to the sudden exposure of our relationship, and were currently dealing with lots of questions from our friends and family as well as the oh so expected rumor that I was pregnant and keeping the baby. It didn't bother me as much as some of my friends, and Gracie and Lina were heard often denying this rumor in the hallways. When Abby had asked, though, I had told her if she wanted to she could confirm it with some people, just to keep them on their toes. It was funny how people searched for things that weren't there.

But aside from all that, it was graduation time, and I was nervous. Not nervous, terrified. Not of the ceremony, the people, or anything of that type, but of leaving Hogwarts. Things were easier when you could groan over an essay, but without that normality what would we do with ourselves? Despite the assurance that I would soon get used to it, and enjoy the free time on my hands, I wasn't so sure. Hogwarts in general just kept you on your toes.

It was fifteen minutes to the time I was due to the entrance hall to meet Scorpius and Albus, and I was all ready, but just staring in the mirror to avoid the dead silence of the room. Abby was sitting on her bed putting on her shoes, Gracie was nervously examining her fingernails, and Lina was lying on her bed with her arms and legs spread out, her eyes closed. I turned from the mirror to scan the room. It was clean, no bras hanging from bedposts, no socks in various corners, just clean. Ready for the next first years to filter in and have their own battles, their own triumphs, their own confusion. The only people in the room were the four of us, as the other two former inhabitants of our room were gone down to do who knows what with who knows who. Abby was the first to break the silence.

"This is it, then." She said. Her tone of voice wasn't full of emotion, merely stating a fact that could be pondered over for hours after hours. Gracie and I nodded numbly, while Lina sat up from her bed to scan everything around her.

"I'm going to miss it all. Even Filch." Joline voiced. We nodded again, then straightened ourselves up as the clock chimed noon. We all looked great, in my opinion. I wore a navy flowy dress that reached mid-thigh with lace on the edges, and small white wedges. Abby wore a tight(but not too tight)grey dress with a black belt sewn on. Lina had opted for a long flowy dress that was evening blue mixed with white, and she was convinced that her baby belly would show through. Gracie wore a draped lavender colored dress with embroidery at the top and gold ballet flats. She looked slightly sad. Her mother was the only one coming to see her graduate, as her father had opted out.

I wrapped my arms around her small body and hugged her. Abby joined, and Lina after, all united in one big group hug: the last in this old dormitory we were to share. How sad it sounded, the goodbye to our dormitory, although it wasn't a loved one and didn't signify that it would mean a goodbye to those standing in front of me, still, how sad it sounded. I took a deep breath and started down the staircase, the others after me, all casting one last glorious look at the room before we left. As we left, something switched. It seemed in the air itself it could sense the atmosphere of the approaching end. The end of the gossip, the end of the group hugs, the end of the pranks, the end of the tears, the end of the the kisses, the end of the smiles all held in the hand of the great castle. The air itself seemed reluctant to let go.

We passed the fireplace as we walked across the empty room, passed the old stuffed armchairs, passed the raggedy couch, passed the length of the fine red rug set into the middle of the floor. We pushed the Fat Lady open and once again took one last look at what we had to leave. Then we continued on.

As we descended further into the castle, I felt myself trying to spot everything that had ever meant anything to me, good or bad. I internally said goodbye to all, and waved as Nearly Headless Nick tipped his hat at us. As we got closer to the entrance hall, the noise and bustle of restless graduates became louder. With my friends, I joined the throng of students trying to cluster into the space, find their friends, and get into the front. Standing on my tiptoes to look over the crowd, I soon spotted the easily identifiable mop of jet black hair that meant that Albus was near. Searching neck to him, I spotted Scorpius' blonde hair, and my friends and I began to push our ways towards them, until we were standing right behind them, our views slightly blocked by their heights. Smirking to myself, I pushed myself up on my tiptoes and leaned over, whispering softly into Scorpius' ear:

"Whatcha doing?"

He whirled around so quickly that I had to pull back in order not to get hit. Seeing me, he let his breath out in a huff of irritation at me scaring him, then looked me up and down, his pupils dilating.

"You look gorgeous." He whispered sweetly, placing his hands on my waist, bringing me closer and letting me wrap my arms around his neck. Our lips were inches apart.

"I love you." I replied softly, and he grinned.

"I know." he said. Rolling my eyes, I brought him closer and his lips to mine.

"Oh, please, can you hold off to spare our innocent eyes?" Albus groaned, finally turning around to see where his best mate was looking. Scorpius pulled back from the kiss—making me untangle my arms—and put his right arm around my waist instead and grinning at Albus.

"Albus, your eyes are far from innocent." he said. Albus rolled his eyes and looked over when the Great Hall doors opened, then turned back and slapped Scorpius on the shoulder.

"Good luck out there, mate." he said, and Scorpius smiled, pulling him into a brotherly hug.

"You too, mate."

The line began to move slowly into the Great Hall, where they left in two's, and Scorpius turned to me, smiling, and bowed over-exaggeratingly, offering his arm. I curtsied in response poshly, and took his arm. In front of us Gracie shyly asked Albus if she could walk with him into the Great Hall, and he looked slightly taken back, but accepted. Looking behind me to see where Lina and Abby had gotten to, I saw them smiling at me from behind me, their arms linked happily. I laughed. That would cause some raised eyebrows from the older people, but I guessed they didn't care.

Before I knew it, Gracie and Albus were walking out across all the people and taking their seats, then it was Scorpius and my turn. I took a deep breath and smiled, then we began to walk out between the rows. The air became tense, but I smiled, lifting my chin confidently. Looking sideways, I saw my mother was smiling at me, and Uncle George gave me a goofy smile and a thumbs up, but my father looked like he had swallowed something sharp. It was sort of funny.

We sat down next to each other, and I watched Abby and Lina walk out together. Abby was trying not to laugh as they both strutted weirdly and noticeably out across the room. Lina stopped halfway through to blow a kiss in James' direction, and Abby grinned and began to blow kisses to all the old people in the room in turn while Lina blushed, yanking her on. They finally sat down next to us, trying to conceal their laughter and red faces. Once everyone was in their seat, Professor McGonagall began her long and boring speech. Something caught my attention at the end, however.

"...and this will be my last ever year of graduates to oversee, so they should feel very special." McGonagall said in her strict sarcastic way. There was a flutter of laughter in the audience, and she smiled genuinely. Then she got out a long roll of names and began calling students up to get their diplomas.

As a Weasley, I was used to waiting my turn for things, and indeed I was the last called on the roll, and the Professor shook my hand, and smiled a real smile as she looked down from her great height at me.

"Good luck, Miss Weasley." she said simply. I nodded, smiling, too. A great cheer began in the crowd of my graduating class, and Albus and Scorpius put their wands into the air, confetti exploding from the tips. I laughed happily, running back to where Scorpius was. I put my hands on either side of his face, turning his head down to look at me. I smiled up at him, and he grinned back at me. Lifting myself up onto my tiptoes, I kissed him fully on the lips, clutching his hair. Confetti from his still-lifted wand fell onto us, but we didn't care. The room had already exploded into cheers, the parents, friends, and relatives of the graduates milling around to congratulate people. I only let go of Scorpius when I heard a cleared throat behind me. I looked around to see my parents. Hermione smiled brilliantly.

"Congratulations, honey!" she said excitedly, bringing me into a hug. Into my ear, she whispered: "You just won me twenty galleons from Aunt Angelina."

I pulled back, rolled my eyes, and laughed.

"Glad to know I've been of service to you." I said sarcastically. She smiled at me, and we both turned to look at my father.

"Dad?" I said tentatively. Ron grunted slightly, then opened his arms to hug me. I smiled and hugged him.

"Anything you want to say to me?" he said in the hug.

"Stop controlling my life," I started. "Respect my boyfriend, because I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and start treating me more like an adult who can make her own decisions."

"Okay, anything else?" Ron said.

"No, I think that's it." I said, pulling back and smiling. He smiled too.

"I love you, baby girl." he said.

"I love you too, Daddy." I said, smiling at him. We turned back to our family just in time to see Gracie practically sprint towards Albus, wrapping her arms around him, and kissing him deeply on the lips. Albus looked startled, but began to kiss her back. After a few moment, he pulled back and looked at her.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked breathlessly.

"A million times, yes." she answered, and they smiled and began kissing again. I smiled at them fondly, smiling wider when I felt Scorpius' arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"I guess everything works out in the end, doesn't it?" he asked, smiling down at me.

"I guess it does." I said, smiling back. Our lips met again, not worrying about the consequences, not wondering about our friends, not thinking about the future. Just us, just this. And in this moment, I felt happier than ever.

**Authors Note: THIS IS NOT THE END! I have a few more chapters, please keep reading.**


	19. Ron Weasley The Auror

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Don't be scared by the title, he doesn't kill anyone, I promise, haha! GUESS WHAT?! I'M FINISHED OFFICIALLY WILL ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUFF UNTIL I GET MY LETTERS! SO COOL RIGHT! Just did my Lick Wilmerding interview. I had so little stuff this weekend, I finished everything work-related yesterday, so today is just one big present of fun stuff and rainbows and no I haven't had sugar since last night, I'm just happy okay. Okay, okay, okay! ONWARD! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 19:**** Ron Weasley The Auror**

**June 16th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

I broke away from Scorpius to look around the room for other family members I hadn't seen in a long time. Craning my neck, I spotted Victorie. But...it was a very thin, very happy looking Victorie, holding a baby. My eyes widened and I raced towards them. Panting, I appeared in front of them, my gaze accusatory.

"Victoire Weasley Lupin! I thought you were going to owl me!" I exclaimed, hands on hips looking at my cousin. Teddy grinned down at his wife.

"Now I know what surprise you were talking about when you brought me here." he said fondly. Victoire grinned and smiled down at her baby girl.

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, you were busy with your N.E.W.T's. I didn't want to distract you." She said this in her sweet, Victoire-ish way, that it was impossible to be angry at her. Instead I turned my attention to her little daughter. She looked no more that two months old, but her hair was longer than most babies—blonde and settling right below her tiny chin—and as I looked closer, I saw a hidden clump that was a very bright blue color. I grinned at the little baby, holding my hand out to touch her head. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, her blue eyes examining my face, then reached out a little hand and grasped one of my finger.

"Nice to meet you, too, little one." I smiled, shaking her finger up and down gently. When she let go, I looked back at Vic and Teddy. "Now are you going to tell me what her name is or what?"

"We managed to convince Fleur that to let us name her what we wanted, so it's Gabrielle Rose Lupin, like we planned." Teddy said, pressing a kiss to his wife's temple. The baby sneezed, and her hair morphed from the normal strawberry blonde to bright, bubblegum pink. Victoire exclaimed in surprise, and Teddy laughed loudly. I raised an eyebrow, and smiled at them, then departed. The next person I came across was Dominique.

"Rose!" my cousin exclaimed, throwing her arms around me excitedly. I laughed, hugging her back.

"What's up Dominique?" I said, letting go. She was practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"I knew it Rose! I knew you had a thing for Scorpius! I just knew this was going to happen! Ahhh, I'm so happy for you!" She said this all very fast, then hugged me happily again. I smiled.

"Thanks Dom, it means a lot. How much coffee did you have this morning?" I asked, laughing. Dominique pouted.

"Who said I had any? I just—oh hey, Frank! Come over here!" She caught her boyfriend by his arm as he was walking past. He turned, surprised, then caught sight of Dom and smiled a brilliant smile.

"Hey Domi. Hi Rose, haven't seen you around lately!" he grinned, putting his arm around my cousins waist. I smiled genuinely as I looked at them.

"Yeah, it's been a while. Hope you're treating Dominique well." I raised my eyebrow teasingly, and Dom shoved me, while Frank blushed. They were cute. I was happy both had found someone they truly wanted to be with. "Well, I'll see you both around. I want to interrogate Albus now."

They both laughed and waved as I walked away to find my cousin, who happened to be still in the middle of the room, being snogged by one of my best friends. As I approached I cleared my throat loudly and forcefully. They both whirled around, cheeks red, lips swollen, and I smirked.

"Been having fun? Nice party." I said, looking up at the ceiling, smirking. Albus groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Nice to see you, Rose. Is there something you wanted?" Albus said impatiently. I mocked innocent.

"Oh, did I interrupt something? Sorry, I was just under the impression we were supposed to be celebrating. Or is that what you were doing?" I winked. Gracie blushed harder, and Albus raised his eyebrows and put his arm around her waist. I shook my head, grinning, and said to Scorpius, who was coming up behind me:

"Look Scorp, they go from not talking to each other one day to snogging the next! I bet they'll act like rabbits soon."

"Yes, look at the lovebirds now. Behold: This is the one time of this year that they haven't been concealing to each other that they know they drunk snogged each other every party this year!"

"Oi, layoff!" Albus exclaimed, reddening. Scorpius smirked and patted him on the back, making up for his earlier teasing.

"I'm happy for you, mate. I also think you'll be much better fun when you aren't commenting on our PDA because you'll be too busy worrying about your own." Scorpius said, winking at Gracie. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

I went over to hug Gracie, and whispered in her ear: "About time you grew some balls."

Gracie huffed. "Why am I friends with you?"

"You love me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

-A+R+S-

**June 20th**

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

The sunlight streamed into the Burrow through the window next to the loveseat that I was currently sitting on outside Rose's room. Rose's mother had let me in, telling me that Rose was in her bedroom, reading, and to best not disturb her. Everyone knew how Rose was when she was interrupted from her reading: it was not pretty, let me tell you. But after twenty minutes sitting by the same old window looking out at the pond, I was bored, and decided to risk it.

I knocked lightly, and a calm, "come in", answered me. Raising my eyebrows, I entered her room, ignoring a warning stare from her father as he passed. Rose was on her bed, lying on her back, holding a book up in front of her face. Sitting down next to her, I examined the cover.

"The Princess Bride? I didn't know you were into fairytales." I said, curiously as she read. She moved the book away from her face to smile at me.

"My mum read me it when I was young. It's wonderful."

"Okay," I said, uncertainly. I put my hand on her book as she tried to move it back up to cover her face. "And why might it be that you're not yelling at me for interrupting?"

She rolled her eyes, set her book down, and gave me a look. Rolling over onto her stomach, she smiled sweetly. "Well, I can if you _want_ me to."

"That's okay." I said, smiling and leaning forward to press my lips to hers. "There's plenty of other things I'd much rather you be doing."

She grinned as I leaned forward to become level with her. Sitting up, she ran her fingers through my hair, making me groan frustratedly and move on top of her. With one of her hands she moved to grasp the back of my t-shirt, and my hands went to her waist. My lips traveled to her neck, giving her light, butterfly kisses that made her let out a mixture between a groan and a giggle. Then she pushed me back.

"As much as I'd like to hang around and chat, I didn't know you'd be coming over, and I've finally got Hugo to agree to talk to me, so I gotta run." she said. I groaned, putting my head in my hands and sitting up on the bed. She smiled and patted my back, giving me a swift kiss on my cheek before swinging her legs of the bed and making her way towards the door.

"I'll be back soon," she said, opening the door. "Oh, hey Dad." At this I looked up. Ron Weasley was standing in the doorway looking at both of us uncertainly. Rose spoke again, unashamedly. "I'm going to talk to Hugo right now, but if you want I can talk to you after?"

Her father shook his head. "Actually, it was Scorpius I wanted to talk to."

Rose's eyes widened. "Ummm...okay. I'll just...go, then." She shrugged at me and left them room. Mr. Weasley stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He went to sit down across from me in Rose's old woven armchair. We sat across from each other in silence for a while, then Mr. Weasley spoke.

"You know I don't like you that much, Scorpius, don't you?" he said curtly. I nodded, and he continued on. "I also wish my daughter didn't have to grow up." he said gruffly.

"I don't think that's quite fair, sir. Both you not liking me for something I don't have any control over—though I wouldn't change it for a second—and not wanting her to grow up. You knew she would, and you knew she wouldn't take kindly to you trying to control her, because she's a piece of work like you." I said frankly. Ron looked slightly offended for a second, then snorted and laughed.

"I guess it's true what Hermione says: you are perfect for Rose." he said, slightly bitterly. I smiled at that. Noticing this, he said: "Doesn't mean I like it."

I had to refrain to roll my eyes. Mr. Weasley was just as stubborn as his daughter. "We're going have to get along now, sir. For your daughter." I said, bluntly. At this Mr. Weasley looked at me weirdly, like he was finally giving me his full attention.

"You really love her, don't you?" he said. He didn't seem skeptical, just curious.

"I've loved Rose forever." I said honestly. He nodded tightly, and stood up. I followed suit.

"Take care of her, then, and we'll be fine." he said gruffly, nodding to me.

"Thank you sir." I said, just before he left. He turned back to look at me from the doorway.

"You can call me Ron, Scorpius." he said, closing the door after him, leaving me standing there in shock.

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

"Hugo?" I knocked on his door.

"Come in." I heard him say. I pushed the door open. Hugo was sitting on his bed, and his room was a mess, almost like he'd been throwing things around. His head was in his hands. I sat down next to him.

"What happened here?" I asked softly, and he looked up at me quickly. My brow wrinkled in concern when I saw his eyes were red. "Hugo, what's wrong?" I asked, putting my arm around him.

"I'm sorry." he said softly, sadly. I unhooked my arm and stared at him.

"That's what all this was about? Because you feel bad?" I asked incredulously. He sighed.

"I've been beating myself up over it, Rose. I can't believe I wrote dad. It was a jackass move and I'm sorry."

"Hugo, it's okay! I just thought you knew." I said, and he looked up at me, relieved.

"I don't know, I kind of did. But when you actually confirmed it—it kind of just hit me. I was angry that you found someone, because I kind of always thought I'd be able to go on protecting you from jackass guys forever or something." he snorted at his own ridiculousness. I laughed.

"You're actually acting like you're older than me, Hu, it's funny." I ruffled his hair. He pouted at me.

"Are we okay, then?" he asked hopefully. I smiled and hugged him.

"We're okay." I said.


	20. Knowing You

**Author's Note: HEYLO so this is another extremely cheesy chapter as I'm told by my friend Madgeleine I've been doing quite a lot of these lately, and I guess it's pissing her off slightly but I just LURVE them! Hope you lurve them too! I just want to end this happy, then continue on to get some drama in my other sequels with different couples. There's gonna be one for Lily Lorcan and one for some people I won't tell you yet! GUESS! And put it in the review if ya wanna! Anyway, thanks, and enjoy!**

**P.S. I drop a bit of a bomb in this one. Some of you probably guessed it but I thought it was time to fess up sooooo...**

**Chapter 20:**** Knowing You**

** July 11th**

*Albus P.O.V.*

I looked at Gracie lying next to me, sleeping peacefully. Her long hair was piled up over the pillow, and her small arms were wrapped around my body. She was so small, so delicate, so beautiful. Gracie and I had stayed up late last night just lying on the couch in my flat talking and laughing together. At some point she had fallen asleep on top of me, so I had carried her up to my room and settled her down. Now the sun was just beginning to stream through the thin curtains, and Gracie began to stir. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes, then spotting me, she smiled.

"Did I fall asleep last night here?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. I like having you here." I assured her, and she smiled, laying back down, closing her eyes again.

"What time is it?" she asked as she snuggled into me with her eyes closed. I grinned.

"It's seven." I told her.

"Too early." she mumbled. I laughed softly, and she looked up at me. I bent down to kiss her softly, and she smiled, then buried her head back into my chest. She mumbled something that I couldn't hear, then looked up at me.

"Sorry, didn't catch that." I said teasingly. She sighed and repeated:

"I have to go to lunch with my mother today. Will you come with me?" she said hesitantly. I was taken back. We had been dating for almost a month, and neither of us had talked of taking it to the next level, but then again, it seemed appropriate.

"Of course I'll come." I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. A slight smile spread across her lips. She suddenly flipped us over and kissed me full on the mouth from her spot on top of me. Surprised, I kissed back, my hands on her lower back, kissing her deeply. This lasted a few minutes, until she rolled back over to her original position. I laughed quietly.

"What?" she asked curiously. I smiled at her.

"You're unpredictable sometimes, Gracie. I've never seen that side of you before." I chuckled. She smiled teasingly at me.

"I like to keep people on their toes." she grinned. I smiled back.

"Clearly."

-A+R+S-

*Lina P.O.V.*

"James, come on, give it to me!" I said, jumping on my toes and he laughed deeply and held the magazine above his head so I couldn't reach it.

"Love, I appreciate you caring so much, but really, we've been working on it for hours. You deserve a break." he said. I sighed. I had been working on it for a long time.

"Fine." I admitted defeat. He smiled and set the object down on the coffee table. He sat down on the couch and I smiled, lying down next to him and curling up against his arm. We snuggled for a few moments before he spoke.

"It seems kind of unreal, doesn't it? Us living here, getting married soon, and you having our baby. Seems like a dream." he said, tightening his arm around me. I leaned my head on his arm.

"Like a beautiful dream." I agreed. We became silent again, just soaking in the moment. I felt like I could see myself at fifteen, smirking at James and I. I wondered how we had gotten this far, all of us, from laughing at people like this, sappy and committed, to becoming them ourselves. It felt weird in a fuzzy way that was warm and filled your chest.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked James. He kissed the top of my head.

"How about watching a movie?" he said. I grinned.

"How about The Notebook?" I teased him. He groaned comically, then summoned it with his wand.

"The Notebook it is. Oh how far I have fallen." he smirked. I pushed him playfully.

"Dignity is for single men." I said, sticking my nose in the air. He rolled his eyes, and went to start the movie. As we leaned back, he whispered:

"True, true."

-A+R+S-

*Gracie P.O.V.*

I looked in the mirror, nervously smoothing down my hair. I had invited Albus to the lunch my mother and I were sharing today and I was honestly hyperventilating. What if my mother didn't like Albus? I didn't honestly care what my father had to say about him, since he didn't really care about me, and after the graduation simply sent me a card that said: "Congratulations! Sorry I couldn't be there." As I was thinking this Albus entered the room looking handsome and came up behind me, putting his arms around me from behind.

"Calm down." he said. I smiled.

"How is it you know me so well?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Well I may or may not have been giving you advice on your parents divorce for five years or so." he said. I smiled, and turned around.

"And I'm very grateful for that." I said to him earnestly. He smiled and kissed me.

"And I'm very grateful for _you._" he said. I smiled.

"Come on then."

-A+R+S-

*Rose P.O.V.*

"I want the summer to last forever!" I laughed as I floated on my back on the family pond. Lily rolled her eyes and dived in, coming up next to me.

"It's not like you'll be coming back to school in the fall." she said. I smirked and turned over to look at her.

"Looking forward to sharing a dormitory with your favorite person in the _whole wide world?_" I said, dragging out the last few words. She groaned.

"Don't even mention that. Anyway, we don't know for sure. The letters don't get here until August."

I rolled my eyes. "But we all know who it's gonna be! Lily, stop being in denial, you're gonna have to deal with him next year." I said impatiently.

"I know, I know, Rose! But just let me have this summer be stress-free, please. I don't want to break out or anything. Wearing makeup in the summer is the worst."

I rolled my eyes. "Like you even need to. Even _pimples_ on you would be _fetch_." I said sarcastically.

"Oi, quit it with the sarcasm, Weasley, you're ruining the moment!"

"What moment?" I laughed.

"Oh, well. It was there, then it was gone." Lily sighed. Then she looked over at me. "Are you still mad at me for telling Scorpius and Albus?" She asked.

"Never was. I'm glad you told them. I didn't have the confidence to do it myself." I said. Lily smiled.

"I'm glad. You're practically my best friend inside the family."

"Lily, you can practically see what's going on in my head on your own—why do you need me?" I asked, laughing. She shrugged.

"Some people are harder to read than others."

I raised my eyebrows. "And I'm one of those people?"

"I guess." Lily said.

"So, who's easy to read?" I asked, curious.

"Albus, Scorpius, my dad, sometimes Lorcan." she said carelessly. Stopping and thinking, a smirk emerged on her face. "Guys are more simple-minded, they're easier to read." I laughed and began to swim back to the bank, Lily following me. When made our way onto the grass, laying out towels under the sun and sitting down. Lily crossed her legs and I lay sideways so I could look at her, one hand propping my head up.

"So what does Scorpius think about, in your calculation?" I said, interested. She smirked.

"Usually you, I'd guess. I mean, he stares at you a lot, and it's disgusting, so I generally try not to look at him for too long, incase I catch something, literally." She said, snorting. I shoved her, playfully, giggling.

"What about Lorcan?" I asked teasingly. She rolled her eyes.

"Lust. All the time. It's disgusting, because whenever he's around me it's like wafting off him. Like sperm. It like surrounds him and if I get too close I'll be infected." Lily said, picking at a spot on her thumb.

"Okay, Lily, I think the phrase _too much information _might be applicable in this situation! I don't want to know anything about Lorcan and his _sperm._" I said, disgusted. Lily half-laughed half-snorted. We sat in silence for a few minutes. "Lily, can I ask you something?" I said hesitantly.

"Sure." she said, tilting her head towards me questioningly.

"Are you a virgin?" I asked, then immediately wished I hadn't. Lily became pensive, before answering:

"Yes. Yes, I guess I am." she said after a moment, wrinkling her brow.

"Why do you say it like that?" I half-laughed, relieved. Lily laughed, too.

"I don't know, I guess I've never really thought about it. I mean, I kind of act like I'm not, don't I? I've only hooked up with a few guys, but I kind of act like a tease the whole time, even though I've never done anything other than kiss them. I guess I'm just scared."

"Lily Potter, scared? What would you be scared of?" I asked. She sighed.

"I guess I would be scared that I would just do it out of the heat of the moment, be infected by it, you know? That I would regret it later." she said. I understood. It must be hard for her, being infected by other people's feelings against her will.

"That must be hard." I said sympathetically. She sighed and shrugged.

"That's what it's like to be an empath." she said. I nodded.

"We'd better go." I said. We picked up our towels and made our way back to the house to dry off. Today had been a great day.

-A+R+S-

*Albus P.O.V.*

"I need to go to the loo." Gracie said, kissing me on the cheek and getting up from her seat. I nodded and smiled at her, taking another bite of my food. I looked up to see Cho looking at me. I waited for her to speak, and after a moment she did.

"I've never seen my daughter so confident as when she's around you." she said, leaning forward. I didn't really know how to respond, so I just nodded. She smiled lightly. "Did you know I used to date your father?" I shook my head. She sighed. "I think maybe if I hadn't blew it with him, things might have turned out different. But who am I to complain? I have Gracie. That's all that matters."

"I love her, and I would never hurt her. Your daughter is amazing." I said. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Michael said that he loved me, you know." she said. I leaned forward.

"But I'm not Michael, and I would never hurt Gracie." I said firmly. She looked like she was about to say something, but then Gracie sat back down.

"Hey." she said, kissing my cheek. I smiled at her.

"Hey."

The lunch went pretty well from then on, and when we got up to leave, Ms. Chang hugged her daughter and looked at me, smiling. "I think you should keep him around." she joked to her daughter. Gracie blushed and kissed her mother's cheek, entwining her hand with mine.

"I think so too." she said. Cho nodded, then turned on the spot and apparated. Gracie turned to me, smiling confusedly. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Nothing." I said, grinning. She rolled her eyes.

"I love you." she said, leaning forward.

"I love you too." I said, smiling and pulling her forward to meet my lips. As our lips met I smirked slightly and pulled us around so we disappeared, apparating back to our apartment.


	21. Sarcasm and Being Difficult

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think it may be a little boring, kind of uneventful, and nothing **_**really**_** happens, but it was the best I could do right now. I also know it's a day late, but I didn't really have many ideas this week. I dunno, just enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 21:**** Sarcasm and Being Difficult**

**July 13th**

*Abby P.O.V.*

I walked down the crowded street from Ollivanders Wand Shop towards the cafe I had promised to meet Rose, Gracie, and Lina. Work was very interesting, and I was learning a lot, which is why I applied. I didn't want a boring desk job, but I didn't feel like being the ultimate girly stereotype and going to work at Madam Malkin's or something. And it was a very important store, and something I thought would interest me. As I came to the window of the cafe, I saw Rose and Gracie sitting at a table, talking. A smile lit my face immediately as I saw my friends. I hadn't hung out with either of them in so long, and Lina, too. Almost as if she had sensed me, Gracie turned towards the window, and her face broke into a smile like a kid in a candy shop, which made me smile wider. She began jumping up and down and gestured for me to come in vigorously. I giggled to myself and pushed the door open just as Lina came out of the bathroom. She started to make her way back to the table, then stopped when she spotted me, she ran towards me and wrapped me in a hug. I smiled and hugged her back. She pulled back and smiled, dragging me towards the table.

"I haven't seen you in soooo long!" Lina exclaimed as she scooted her chair in. I smiled.

"I've been busy is all. Where've you guys been? I thought Rose and you were supposed to be working at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes here." I said curiously. Lina winked at me.

"I convinced Rose's Uncle George give us this one last summer before we started working." she said. Rose grinned.

"Or she got James to. She's got him around her little finger, I swear." Rose said. I grinned, leaning forward.

"Speaking of having guys wrapped around your fingers, how are Scorpius and Albus?" I asked. They both blushed, and I smiled wider. "I guess they're good."

Gracie rolled her eyes and nudged me. "Don't be teasing us when we can't tease you back. Still a single pringle?"

"Ah, what's life when you waste it on guys?" I said, leaning back. They all snorted. Right then Rose looked past me out the window and wrinkled her brow.

"What's Fred doing around here?" she asked, confused. I whipped my head around so fast I swear I had whiplash. Fred Weasley was outside the window, waving at Rose. As he noticed me, he smirked. I rolled my eyes and turned back.

"He works around here, didn't you know?" I said to Rose. She tilted her head to the side.

"I thought he was still training to be an Auror." she said. Lina was the one who replied this time.

"No, James told me he quit. Didn't feel like it was right for him. Now he's working at the Leaky." she said.

"I didn't know that. Do you see him around, Abby?" Gracie asked. I failed to conceal a snort.

"More than I'd like to." I said disdainfully. Rose gave me a sympathetic look.

"Is he hassling you or something?" she asked. I sighed.

"Kind of. He's convinced I want to sleep with him."

"Do you?" Lina pressed.

"No!" I said, offended. Rose put her head in her hands.

"Shit, you wanna sleep with my cousin." she said.

"Hey, didn't you hear me, I said I didn't!" I protested.

"Yeah that's why I know you do. Because if you didn't you would just be all sarcastic about it or say that you do." Rose said, her head still in her hands. I snorted. Rose looked up at me challengingly. "Okay then, tell me that you are not attracted to my cousin with a straight face."

"Rose," I began, smirking slightly, "I am not in any way attracted to your cousin Fred Weasley II in any way. Happy?"

"I don't believe you." Rose mumbled, putting her head back in her hands. Lina put her hands up just as I was about to reply.

"Okay, whatever! I didn't invite you guys here to squabble over whether or not Abigail wants to get in bed with one of Rose's many guy cousins! We came here to plan my wedding. And _that_ is what we're gonna be doing." she said as both Rose and I groaned. "Now Abby," she turned to me. "Can we go to your house to plan, or are we going to stay here?"

"Whoa, claws back! Yes, we can go to my place, though I was _hoping _to get a latte or something." I trailed off. Lina grabbed my arm and lifted me up out of my seat.

"Nope, sorry." she said, dragging me off with Rose and Gracie following. I rolled my eyes and followed her. Once we were outside the cafe, Lina turned to me.

"Which way is it?" she asked me. I rolled my eyes and gestured for them to follow me. My apartment was in a far corner of Diagon Alley that not many people knew about it. It was cheap, and it was easy to tell why. The buildings didn't have the usual cheeriness that came with Diagon Alley, and you could almost feel the life being sapped out of the air as you got closer. There was a pub nearby, and many raucous men came out of it to leer at you if you came or left when it was dark. As we neared my house, the girls grew silent, looking around cautiously.

I walked to the porch of my house, crouching down and grabbing the key from under the mat, and opening the door. I looked back to see my friends lingering a few feet away. I raised an eyebrow. I knew my house looked back from the outside, but it wasn't _that _bad.

"What are you waiting for?" I questioned. Gracie looked around the street, then back to me in concern.

"Abby, you know if you want you can stay with Albus and I or something, right?" she said. I sighed.

"Come on guys, it's better on the inside." I said. They gave each other looks and then passed me through the door. I smiled and closed the door after them. I led them into the slightly cramped living room and they sat themselves down on the couches. This room was painted a light coral, as I had painted it a few days ago from its original gray. Lina leaned forward.

"Explain." She demanded. I sighed.

"I thought you would react like this." I said, making a face.

"Damn right we're gonna react like "this". You're living next to all the people who work in Knockturn Alley or something, and you keep your key under your doormat. What are we supposed to think?" Gracie burst out.

"You could be happy that I have my own house?" I suggested gingerly. They all gave me a look. "Okay, okay, I get it!" I said, putting up my hands in surrender. "I shouldn't have taken the risk and just gotten a more expensive house somewhere else! I'm sorry!" I said, annoyed, crossing my arms. Lina sighed.

"Sorry, it's just...we're worried about you. Do your parents know you live here?" Rose asked.

"Uhhh...not...exactly?" I tried. They all rolled their eyes.

"Fine, just be careful." Gracie said. I nodded exaggeratedly, glad that conversation was over. Lina took over.

"Okay," she said, clapping her hands together. "Can we get around to what we planned to do?" She said. We all nodded. "Okay, so I've decided that Rose is going to be the Maid of Honor."

"Hey, why does Rose get to be Maid of Honor?" I said jokingly hurt. Lina rolled her eyes.

"Because she got James and I together. Now let's get to planning."


	22. It's Real

**Author's Note: Okay guys, this is the second to last chapter and I'm getting really emotional...waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! Okay, so now I'm back! I'm not really sure what's gonna happen in this chapter, but yeah. **

**Chapter 22:**** It's Real**

**July 20th**

*Rose P.O.V.*

Scorpius and I landed lightly on the grass outside the Malfoy Manor, and we entwined hands, looking up at it. I smiled and remembered the time we spent with Lily, Lorcan, and Albus here for Christmas. We began walking up the lawn and I turned to him when we reached the door.

"How are we going to tell them?" I asked nervously. Scorpius grinned.

"Just hold hands as we walk in. My mom will freak."

I rolled my eyes and took my hand as we rang the old fashioned doorbell. Immediately, we heard scuffling from inside the house and it opened promptly to reveal Astoria Malfoy smiling brightly at us from the doorway.

"Scorpius!" she exclaimed, bringing her son into a hug immediately. "I haven't seen you in long!" then she turned to me. "And Rose! It's such a pleasure to have you again!" She hugged me, too. She opened the door wider to let us in. Scorpius pulled me forward inside and we followed his mother into the hall. Draco was sitting at the dining room table when we walked in, and he got up and smiled at us.

"What brings you two here?" he said pleasantly. His eyes twinkled as they lingered on our intertwined hands. Astoria seemed to have not noticed yet. She looked at us questioningly, and Scorpius smiled cheekily, raising our hands into full view. Mrs. Malfoy's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she squeaked and started jumping up and down like a teenage girl. Mr. Malfoy smiled at us both.

"So I take it this means you've gone official?" Draco said. Astoria laughed.

"Where they ever together before? I was under the impression of a more friends-with-benefits type relationship." she said.

"Mum!" Scorpius exclaimed, offended. "You know I don't do that kind of thing!"

"Oh, I'm sure, darling." She mocked him, going over and putting her arm around me. "Did he corrupt you, dear?"

I laughed. "Oh, very much so!"

"Now you're just ganging up on me!" Scorpius huffed. Draco smiled and nudged him.

"I'm on your side, son." he said. I laughed, and went back over to Scorpius' side, and he wrapped his arm around my side, grinning. Astoria looked at us, smiling, then sighed happily.

"I am so happy that you two lovebirds are finally together!" she exclaimed again, shaking her head.

"Wait, have you told your father yet, Rose?" Mr. Malfoy asked, concerned.

"Sort of." I said, grinning slightly. Draco looked at me questioningly, and I explained, "Actually, it was my younger brother who told him, but yes, he knows, and he's made his peace with it."

Mr. Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he'll still love giving me snide remarks no matter what he thinks of the two of you." he said. Then he smirked and added, "I'm sure I will, too."

-A+R+S-

*Lina P.O.V.*

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god is this real please tell me it is." I muttered under my breath as I fixed my hair in the mirror.

"It is." James said from behind me, grinning as he ruffled his hair up, like always. I turned around, rolling my eyes.

"Need help fixing your hair?" I smirked, dashing towards him. He looked confused for a second until I started messing his hair up with my hands.

"Hey, hey!" he protested as I giggled and let go. His hair looked just as it always did, no messier. Glaring at me playfully, he lunged forward and brought me close, his face close to mine. "You sorry?" he teased.

"Nope!" I exclaimed, leaning forward for a kiss. He leaned back, smirking.

"Not until you say you're sorry." he said.

"Jameeeeessss," I whined. He raised his eyebrows teasingly. "Fine. I'm sorry." I said sarcastically. He grinned and leaned down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. It felt like I was still fifteen kissing for the first time. The same.

"What are you thinking of?" James said, leaning his forehead to mine. I smiled.

"I'm thinking of the first time I kissed you." I said. James laughed.

"You still remember that?" he said.

"How could I forget?" I replied quietly, blushing at the memory.

_ *Flashback*_

_ September 13th, _

_ "Hello, James." I said, hearing him behind me as I read in my dormitory. I twisted my head to see my boyfriend standing at the entrance of my dormitory, looking slightly guilty. "What are you doing up here?" I asked, turning slightly back to my book as he walked over to me and leaned over the headboard of my bed, his head next to mine._

_ "Just wanted to see your face again," he said sweetly. I mentally groaned. He said so many of these things that just made me believe that he really did love me as much as he always said he did, but I couldn't honestly return it yet. I simply tried to suppress my smile as he leaned over my shoulder. "What are you reading?" he asked. I showed him the cover._

_ "Tuck Everlasting. It's a muggle novel about immorality." I explained to him. It was slightly hard to concentrate on anything with his warm breath on my neck._

_ "What's your favorite quote?" he asked._

_ "Uh..." I searched in the book. I had read it before. " '__Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.' " I read aloud. James nodded slowly, and we didn't talk for a few moments._

_ "Do you still hate me, Lina?" he asked. I was taken aback, and I set my book down._

_ "I never hated you, James." I said. I could feel him smirk slightly from behind me._

_ "Do you still find me incredibly annoying, then?"_

_ "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." I said, smirking._

_ "Is that so?" James said, playing with my hair. His fingers brushed my neck as he pushed my hair to the side, and I tensed. He lowered his mouth to my neck and planted a slight butterfly-kiss there, sticking my neck, and my breath hitched._

_ "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice quavering slightly._

_ "Still find me annoying?" he whispered huskily, pressing another light kiss at the base of my neck._

_ "Yes," I said, trying to keep my voice from quavering. He moved his lips lower onto my shoulder. I shivered, and he looked up at me._

_ "Sure?" he teased._

_ "Yes," I whispered. He arched an eyebrow and began kissing his way up my neck carefully, slowly, painfully._

_ "Now?" he asked._

_ "Still," I breathed out, my eyes closed._

_ "Interesting." James said. I opened my eyes and our eyes. I tilted my head around and I began to lean in until our foreheads rested against each other._

_ "I'm going to regret this." I whispered to him. He grinned._

_ "We'll see about that." he said as he closed the distance between us._

_*End of Flashback*_

"We're still the same people." James said, obviously remembering it with me. I smiled and nodded. "And I told you you wouldn't regret it." he said. I giggled.

"That's still to be determined." I said cheekily. James frowned.

"Rude." he huffed. I smiled and kissed him quickly.

"Sorry, babe. Anyway, we should get going. We both have friends waiting for us." I said, grabbing my bag. When we got out the front door of the building, Rose was leaning against a wall, looking very bored.

"I've been waiting for you guys out here for soooooooo long! James, goodbye, Lina, we're partying." She grabbed my arm and dragged me away. I gave James an apologetic look and waved.

"Have a good stag night!" I yelled. He waved back as Rose and I apparated.


	23. Time of Your Life

**Author's Note: GUUYYYSS! GUESS WHAT? IT'S MAH BIRTHDAY! YAY! FOURTEEN! On another note, I'm dying here guys. I'm just so freaking sad! THIS IS THE END OF MY SCOROSE STORIES! Of course, I'm doing a Lily Lorcan story, but it's so sad! I've been writing this thing for the last two years! ANYWAY, ENJOY MY LAST CHAPTER!**

**P.S. This chapter is named after a Greenday song, not sex.**

**Chapter 23:**** Time of Your Life**

**June 21st**

** 10:30 A.M.**

*Lina P.O.V.*

_It was really here. _That was the first thing I thought when I woke up in the morning. I was staying at Rose's house, since everyone in the family insisted that we keep up the silly tradition that you can't see each other on our wedding day until I stepped out onto the aisle. It felt just like old times, because I was lying on a mattress on the floor in Rose's bedroom. It felt almost final, this thing. Happy, yes, but also the end of something. It was nice, in a way. It felt like our time in the spotlight of Hogwarts was over, and it was time for us to settle down for the rest of our lives.

I lifted up my head from the pillow, looking around the room. The curtains were open, and light shone in. Rose's bed was empty, it was probably around ten. She had said last night that she would let me sleep in, because I deserved it today. The wedding was at three o'clock, and it was to take place in the Weasley orchard.

"You up Lina?" I heard Rose's voice calling me, and then I heard a knock on the door.

"I'm awake!" I said loudly. Rose entered the room carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. She sat down on her bed and handed me one.

"You nervous?" she asked, taking a sip of hers. I shivered.

"You have no idea."

"I know." she said, smiling. "I kind of am, too."

"And you're not even getting married." I said, laughing. Rose chuckled along with me.

"I'm going to miss you, Lina." she said finally. I looked up, confused.

"What do you mean? I'm not going anywhere." I said. She smiled wryly.

"I guess I know that, but, well, it'll be different. You're not young forever, you know. But I feel like right now you seem so much older than me. Like we're in such different places." she said, looking down.

"Hey," I grabbed her hand comfortingly. "We're both in love, aren't we? You and Scorpius and James and I. It had to happen at some point. We can't always be those girls. We have to grow up, too." I said. She smiled sadly, a tear streaming down her face.

"I'm going to miss them. Those girls, I mean. They were nice." she said, wiping hastily under her eyes. I smiled sadly, lifting myself up to sit next to her on her bed. I put my arms around her.

"They were. They really were." I said into her shoulder, starting to tear up as well.

"What are you guys doing?" Lily walked into the room. We jumped, startled, and hastily wiped our eyes.

"Nothing, nothing at all!" Rose said quickly. Lily stopped and raised her eyebrow.

"Whatever." She finally concluded, shaking her head and making her way over to the corner of the room to look at something. "Lina, Abby already made breakfast a long time ago, but you can go down now and have some. Rose, help me with this." She gestured to a huge bag. Rose sighed.

"Better go now before she changes her mind." She said to me. Under her breath, she added, "PMS."

"I heard that!" Lily yelled at her, crossing her arms grumpily. "You know, just because I'm grumpy, tired, and breaking out doesn't mean I'm about to have my period. _I_ think it's stress." She said. Rose grinned, walking over to her and patting her on the arm.

"Don't worry Lily, you're still smart in all the other ways." she said. Lily snapped back at her, and I decided it would be a great time to make my exit. Walking down the stairs, I began to smell eggs and bacon. When I reached the kitchen, I saw Gracie sitting at the long table and Abby heating up a plate with her wand, bickering as always.

"Hey!" I exclaimed over their voices. Their heads snapped around, and Gracie broke into a smile.

"Hey Lina. Want breakfast?" She said, pulling out her wand and using it to levitate the plate of food away from Abigail and onto the table. I smiled, sitting down.

"Why weren't you there last night?" I addressed Abby as I began to eat. She fidgeted nervously.

"I'm really sorry about that. Some stuff came up I couldn't avoid. Uh, someone broke into the shop and I had to go help." she said. I shrugged.

"It's fine. You didn't miss much. And we didn't talk about you _too_ much." I winked, trying to defuse the tension slightly. She let out a slight laugh and flicked her wand so that the pan began scrubbing itself, and sat down at the table across from me.

"You nervous?" She said. I laughed shortly.

"I am alive, so therefore yes, I am nervous." I said. Gracie laughed, and Abby smiled.

"Well, we've got you totally covered. Lily has a whole like chest of drawers full of makeup, and Rose made sure she didn't forget your dress." Gracie said, levitating my finished plate away from me and dusting her hands off. "Come on, you better get up there." she said. I nodded, standing up and walking over to the base of the staircase.

"You guys coming?" I asked.

"In a minute." Gracie said. I shrugged to myself as I began to climb back up. From where I was, I could hear them arguing.

"You should have listened to me the first time he turned up!" Gracie was saying. Abby snapped back:

"Well, how was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?" she said. I could almost picture her with her hands on her hips glaring. I shook my head. That was none of my business. I continued up the stairs to Rose's bedroom, and once the door was closed, you could no longer hear them.

"They still arguing?" Lily asked, turning away from what looked like 1,000 pounds worth of makeup. I flopped down on Rose's bed.

"Were they before?" I asked. Rose gave me a look.

"The whole time we were eating breakfast they were giving each other glares. The worst part was, they wouldn't tell us about what they were arguing about. And Lily won't tell me either." She gave her cousin a glare. Lily put up her hands helplessly.

"Just because I can feel other people's emotions doesn't mean that I know what they're arguing about! Hey, maybe that's why I'm irritable, because they are!" she said, smiling at the thought. Rose rolled her eyes.

"But you must have some idea what they're arguing about." she prodded. Lily Luna rolled her eyes.

"I don't have any reason to care, so why should I be paying attention to their thoughts? If I wanted to I could figure it out, but I don't feel like it, comprende?" Lily said impatiently. Rose made a face.

"You suck." she said. Lily shrugged, smirking. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, enough with your cousin battles! What am I supposed to do?" I demanded. Lily turned to me.

"Take a shower and change into this when you get out." She handed me normal clothes and pushed me toward the bathroom.

"And so it begins." I muttered under my breath, sighing and obeying her.

-A+R+S-

**1:00 P.M.**

*James P.O.V.*

"Guys, I'm terrified." I said for the millionth time. Fred sighed.

"You've been saying that for the last hour. We get it." He said.

"I know, but what if I mess up or something?" I said nervously. Fred put his hand on my shoulder.

"James, you love her right?" he asked. I was taken aback.

"Of course I love her!" I exclaimed.

"And she loves you?" he asked.

"She says she does." I said. He rolled his eyes.

"She does. Anyway, if you two love each other, you wouldn't care if she messed up, and she wouldn't care if you did. This is your big day. I don't think you could really mess it up." he said. I was confused for a minute, then it dawned on me what he said.

"Man, Fred, you're right." I said, grinning, relieved. Then I laughed. "Where'd you get that from?"

He shrugged, looking shifty. "Nowhere really, it's just common sense." he said, shrugging. I laughed again.

"Well, thanks, anyway." I said. He nodded gruffly, and looked away. While he was studying something, I gave him a weird look. Who was he and what had he done with my best friend? Just then Scorpius and Albus walked in.

"Where have you guys been?" I demanded, standing up from the table. They gave each other a look I associated with when they had to keep something secret. Scorpius widened his eyes, and Albus turned to me.

"Sorry, we were a bit busy with things." he said. I smirked, raising my eyebrows.

"What kind of things?" I asked. They shared another look.

"Just...things." Scorpius said.

"You better not be pulling a prank on my wedding." I said tiredly. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Not those kind of things, James. Keep your hair on." He said. I glared at him. Again, he rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?" He asked. This time it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"We have two hours." I pointed out.

"It's your wedding." Albus retorted.

"Point taken." I said, standing up. To get ready. When no one else made a move, I snapped at them. "You guys have to be ready, too, you know."

-A+R+S-

**2:30 P.M.**

*Rose P.O.V.*

I looked at my dress in the mirror, and slowly reached up to clip the owl pendant Teddy had given me so long ago around my neck. This was really it. Not for me, but for Lina it was. And I was so happy for her.

The dress that all the bridesmaids were wearing was a mixture between baby blue and lilac, it was one shoulder, and beautiful. Lina's dress was even more gorgeous, though. I hadn't seen her in it yet, but I was about to. I stepped out of the bathroom, looking around for my friend, and saw her in the corner with my full length mirror, just studying herself.

"Lina," I said slowly.

"Yes?" she said, not looking at me.  
"Turn around." I said in the same tone. She turned slowly. I gasped at the sight. Her dress was pale gold and it hung simply, gathered at the waist and then just hanging. Over her chest was white lace covering the original fabric, and she looked breathtaking. I felt like I was about to faint. "You look beautiful." I breathed, sinking down onto my bed.

"Thanks." Lina said, smiling weakly. "You too."

I nodded thanks, looking around. Gracie, Lily, and I were all in our bridesmaid's dresses, and Lina in her wedding dress. Abby looked around, suddenly noticing that everyone was dressed but her, and grabbed her dress, going into the bathroom to change. Over the last few hours, Lily had worked all of us over with her vast makeup collection, making us all look perfect and natural. I had to admit, the girl had talent. If she wanted to, I knew she could be one of the best wizarding makeup artists ever, but she was dead set on being an Auror. To be honest, I think she would be great at anything she did.

When Abby finally stepped out of the bathroom, we were all terrified. It was fifteen minutes until the wedding began, and forty until Lina stepped out onto the aisle with her mother.

"This is it." Lina said, smiling happily. She opened her arms, and we all came together in a group hug. We held it longer than we usually did, and we finally let go of one another, we kind of just stared at each other for a few seconds. We were really growing up.

"We better go down, then." Gracie said finally, and we all nodded, waiting for someone to lead the way. Finally, I made my way over to the door and opened it, making my way down into the kitchen. As we came into the room, my mother, Aunt Ginny, and Lina's mother turned to look at us. Stifling a sob, Lina's mother came forward to hug her daughter.

"You look so grown up darling. I cannot believe you are getting married." she said emotionally. Aunt Ginny stepped forward.

"You all look very beautiful." she said, giving me a wink. I grinned back.

"It is ten minutes before you have to go into the orchard." My mother reminded us. "Make sure you're ready."

We all seemed to take a deep breath at the same time. Looking at each other, we laughed at each other's nerves.

-A+R+S-

**3:35 P.M.**

*Scorpius P.O.V.*

I watched Rose stand across from me up there, a brilliant smile on her face, and I couldn't help but smile as well. _If you're a bird, I'm a bird._ I thought to myself, laughing internally at the cheesy quote from the muggle movie Rose and I had watched a few weeks ago. It reminded me of us, that movie. So far the ceremony was going well, and despite James' fears, he hadn't messed it up. Almost everyone we knew were here, all the way from little old Mrs. Weasley to my parents. Speaking of my parents, they had settled themselves down beside Rose's parents, and before the ceremony had started, I had seen Rose's mum and mine conversing happily. I guess all good things take time, but it worked out in the end.

"You may kiss the bride." I heard the old wizard say. Everyone cheered as they kissed, and silver confetti rained down onto everyone's heads. I smiled and began to clap along with everyone else. Rose made her way over to me, and I wrapped my arm around her waist.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" She said, smiling. Somehow, I knew exactly what she was talking about.

"It really is." I said, and she smiled at me. Tugging at my hand, we went over to congratulate them and take pictures. We gathered all together, and I felt a tug on the hem on my dress pants. I looked down to see Lina's little sister smiling up at me.

"Hi!" she exclaimed.

"Hi there!" I said back.

"Are you Scorpius? Are you Rose's boyfriend?" She asked curiously. I grinned.

"I sure am." I confirmed.

"I've heard _a lot_ about you." She giggled. I raised my eyebrows as she ran back to be with her sister. Shrugging, I put my arms around Rose from behind and smiled just as the camera flashed. I turned to her after the picture was taken and prodded her.

"What is it?" she asked curiously. Smiling, I pointed to a place in the crowd. She turned her head, and her mouth fell open. There, where I pointed, were my father and Mr. Weasley talking. They didn't look mad, so it seemed to be going well. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. Over her shoulder, Mr. Weasley turned to me, caught my eye, and nodded. I grinned, detaching myself from Rose.

"Want to take a walk?" I asked carefully. She smiled.

"Sure," she said. We walked in silence, hand in hand, to sit below the tree in the meadow we were very familiar with.

"Remember this tree?" I joked. She smiled.

"You kissed me here for the first time." She said. Then she raised her eyebrows. "Any particular reason you brought me here?" she asked. I grinned.

"I'll only tell you if you promise not to run away again." I said.

"I promise." She said.

"Okay then," I took a deep breath. "I love you, Rose. I've loved you for so long, and I love everything about you. I love the way you scrunch up your nose when you're annoyed, I love the way you smile, I love _you._ And I want to be with you forever." I said. Her eyes widened as I knelt down in front of her on one knee, pulling out a box from my coat jacket.

"Is this what I think it is?" she breathed. I smiled, opening the box.

"We don't have to marry soon, we can stay engaged as long as you want to, but I just have to know: Will you marry me, Rose?" I asked. Her eyes widened further, and she was speechless for a few moments. Then she spoke:

"Yes!" she exclaimed, lifting me up. My face spread into a wide grin as she kissed me. "Yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed as she kissed me. I slid the ring onto her hand, smiling, too. She leaned back to look up at me. "I love you, Scorpius Malfoy."

"And I love you, Rose Weasley." I said back. She smiled and we kissed again. "Now we should get back before people begin to notice we're gone." I said. She pouted and took my hand again, and we made our way back. Just as we were about to enter the wedding again, I felt something metal drop against my hand.

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed, picking up her pendant from the ground. The chain had broken. "That's weird." She said, holding it up to inspect. Shrugging, she took my hand again and we made our way inside.

"Teddy!" she said, looking around for her cousin as she entered. She saw him laughing, and ran to him. "Teddy, the necklace you gave me broke, and it didn't work in the first place." she said, holding it up. He just kept laughing, and Victoire, next to him, elbowed him crossly. Rose turned to Victoire, raising her eyebrows. Victoire sighed.

"Yeah, what he told you it does, it doesn't really do, Rose." she said. "He just told me what it _really_ does." She said pointedly at her husband. He just kept laughing.

"Congratulations Rose!" he managed to say through his laughing. Rose's eyes widened, and she puffed up.

"Teddy Remus Lupin, you are in for a world of hurt!" she exclaimed angrily, smacking her cousin crossly. I stood there, confused on what was going on. Victoire looked at me pityingly.

"Teddy put a _security camera _in that necklace he gave Rose." she explained, laughing slightly. I began to laugh. Smooth. Rose huffed back to me.

"I can't believe he did that." She said crossly. I grinned.

"Pretty cool, though, you have to admit." I said. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't conceal her smile. She couldn't reply, however, because right then, Albus came up.

"Okay, let me see it." he demanded, grinning. Rose smiled back and showed him her ring. Albus grinned and patted me on my back.

"I'm glad she didn't reject you, mate." he said, then walked off to talk to someone else.

"I guess that's all I can expect from him." I said, grinning and shaking my head.

"I guess." Rose said, smiling.

"Rosie?" a voice said from behind Rose. I looked over to see Mr. Weasley, a pained expression on his face.

"Oh, Daddy." She smiled, hugging him. "You knew, didn't you?" She asked. He sighed.

"He asked me. Couldn't really refuse." he said, studying her face. "As long as _you're_ happy, baby girl." he said.

"I am." She said. He nodded, smiling, and went away. She turned back to me. "I really am happy. Happier than ever before." We both smiled. How far we had come.

**THE END**

**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! I'll be posting the next story in three weeks, on Saint Patrick's Day, that Sunday. Hope you'll stay with me, and hope you enjoyed it! Love, Senta1000. Marauder on!**


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